All About Timing
by AddieGreysPPPEvilRegal
Summary: Regina Mills is a single mom with a demanding job as one of the top oncologists in the country. What happens when a little boy from London arrives with what looks to be incurable cancer? Can she save him? More importantly, can she save herself from falling for his father? OutlawQueen; Modern AU. Slight Private Practice Crossover.
1. Chapter 1

Los Angeles

She stands in front of the mirror in her bathroom playing back her messages, as she blow dries her hair.

"_Regina, darling, it's your mother; the ladies auxiliary is having their annual gala in a few weeks. It would be nice if you flew out; I haven't seen my handsome grandson in a while and-"_

_Delete_; her mother wanted something, and Regina was no fool...**_next message_**

"_Regina honey, it's daddy; I was just calling to check on you and Henry...I'm sure your mother's already called trying to butter you up but, she's told the ladies auxiliary about that case you're doing and thought it would be nice if you gave a donation to the children's cancer society..."_

She made a mental note to call father back _and_ to send a sizable check to the ladies auxiliary. She'd kill 2 birds with one stone, _because there was no way in hell_ she was gonna get on a plane and fly halfway across the country and deal with her mother while she paraded around the grandson she pretended to love...next message

"_Regina, it's Clarice; I was just calling to check on you and Henry. Daniel's birthday is next week...I was hoping you and Henry would stop by the ranch; I'm sure it's been a while since you've ridden..."_

She would _definitely_ make the drive to Santa Monica to visit Daniel's mother this year, definitely this year. It's been too long since she's seen them or stopped at his grave. Going to visit can be too hard at times, but this year she's going; she deserves to go. Besides, it's high time she showed Henry how to ride a horse...next message

"_Regina, it's Charlotte; just remindin' ya about the case we've got coming in from London. It's a pretty big one so, ya might wanna be prepared; from what I hear the boy's guardians are a real riot..."_

She's already mentally prepared herself for how intense this case is going to be, both physical and mental stength. _After all_, she _is_ the best oncology specialist in the country. However this case is particularly difficult; a rare case of cancer in a child and the family's pretty much given up all hope, that is until they heard about the great Dr. Regina Mills, who's given hope to cases other doctors would consider a less than 1 percent chances.

Speaking of cases, she's due at the hospital for this one in...less than 30 minutes...shit.

oOo

She quickly dresses, throwing on a pair of slacks and a button down shirt. Her hair's pretty much dry at this point, so fuck using the flat irons this morning. She's late; and besides, she's sure she'll end up with ugly scrub cap hair by the time the day's done anyways. Bounding down the stairs, she grabs her thermos of coffee, which has already been filled by the blonde sitting at her counter handing it to her.

"Lemme guess, you're running late again, _aren't you_?"

"You know me so well Tink" Regina says with a grateful smile as she allows some of the warm liquid to pass through her lips and down her throat.

"Henry! Henry we're gonna be late!" she calls up the stairs to her 12 year old son. He's made it a habit of going back to sleep when she comes into his room to wake him, grumbling about it being too early. _Oh the joys of being a single mom raising a pre-teenage boy._

"Henry, we are going to be late and Tink is here!" She shouts once more

"_Geez mom, I'm coming; _Ihad to grab my gameboy...hey Aunt Tink" Henry says, quickly moving past her to grab an apple from the crystal bowl on the counter. She sighs heavily, on days like this she's lucky to have Tink; it's like still having a piece of Daniel around.

"And good morning to you too Henry" Regina mutters, just as the boy backtracks, giving her a peck on the cheek.

"Morning mom; hey, isn't this the day you have that special case?" he asks as she ruffles his hair

"Yes, and if we don't hurry, I'll be late...Tink, I can't thank you enough for getting him to school for me"

"Regina, you were practically my sister-in-law, besides, my parents _adore_ you. It's fine; once family always a family, right?" The perky blonde says with a smile

"Once family always family" Regina repeats with a soft smile before clearing her throat

"So, what time does your shift start?"

"I'm not due in until this afternoon so, can I drop him off at your office?"

"That's fine; he'll use my computer to do the book report _he failed to do last week_. **_Don't think I don't know about that Henry_**. Mrs Lucas is giving you until Friday to do it. _I want it done Henry_, no video games until it's done, got it?"

"Relax Mom; I'll get it done" he shakes his head, moving to give her a hug; it's moments like this where she's thankful that he isn't at the point where morning hugs from your mother are embarrassing.

"If you need anything and I'm not there, just give Mary Margret a call" she tells him as he sighs

"What if she starts pestering me about if I've talked to Emma yet since she's moved here?" he asks.

Emma is Henry's birth mother, she's an old friend of Mary Margret's; she had a troubled past before she got pregnant with Henry. She was responsible enough to realize that she wasn't ready to be a mom and put Henry up for adoption. Mary Margret, who is Regina's cousin through marriage, insisted that she take Henry; it's the best decision she's ever made. Until recently, Henry had been clueless that he was adopted. At first, he was angry with Regina for not telling him, but they worked their way through that; things are solid between them. Emma however, has decided to move to LA after spending a few years getting herself together while she was in Boston. She works in billing and encoding at St. Ambrose Hospital, where Regina ironically works.

"If Mary Margret starts pestering you about seeing Emma...you let me know and I'll put her in her place" Regina says with a wink.

"Alright, alright; come along young man, I've gotta get you to school and your mother has to go and save the day" Tink says with a smile.

"You really think you can save the kid mom?" Henry asks

"I'm gonna do my best to; now go, I'll see you this afternoon. I love you"

"Love you too mom"

* * *

London (Heatherow International Airport)-Several Hours Earlier

The jet is fuled and ready to go, a little boy, no more than 5 years old sits in one of the seats, pillows underneath him and behind his back, a blanket wrapped around his arms.

"Are you comfortable darling?" his grandmother Elinor asked as he nodded, pulling his stuffed bear closer to his chest.

"Where's papa?" Roland asks, his voice is soft, but still very weak

"I'm right here my boy" Robin Locksley says to his son, crouching down onto his level, brushing his hair away from his face. It kills him to see his son like this, but this was why they were going to America, to find a cure.

"Do you know where we're going my boy?" Robin asks, chuckling as his son shakes his head

"We're going to The United States to see a doctor by the name of Regina Mills and she's going to help you get better"

"Is she good papa?"

"They tell me she's the best Roland, and that's all daddy wants is the best for his little man. Now, close your eyes, the plane's about to take off; by the time you wake up, we'll be in California"

"Is that where the beach is, and Disneyland?" Roland asks, causing his father to smile

"Yes my boy; and once you're better, that's where we'll go, to the beach and to Disneyland" Robin says, pressing a kiss to his son's head as John, his best friend and pilot told him that they had been cleared for take off.

As he sits down in his seat, he can only pray that this Regina Mills was as good as everyone said she was.

oOo

She loves the smell of hospital first thing in the morning, the rush of people doing everything they could to save a life. She has to stand there and take it all in, watching for a few moments as everything seems to pass her by. It's not until she feels a hand on her shoulder that she turns around.

"Charlotte King, my favorite chief of surgery"

"Regina Mills, my favorite oncologist; ya ready for today?"

"As ready as I'll ever be" Regina says as the two women walk through the hospital. Charlotte and Regina have history. Charlotte's 2 years younger than her, but the two had ended up as roommates while in med school at Johns Hopkins. Charlotte King is small, feisty and terrifying, qualities the brunette admires, wishes she had outside of the hospital. Maybe she'd be able to stand up to her mother if she were more like Charlotte.

"Oh, I forgot to mention that Montgomery's working this case as well" the blonde says

"Why is she working on this case?"

"I'm working on this case because I treated your patient's mother...Dr. Mills, pleasure seeing you again"

Though they've never worked together professionally, she knows all about Addison Forbes Montgomery, and not just because she's got fifty goddamned medical titles. No, their paths go _much deeper than that_: they both speak WASP. Addison's mother Beatrice and Regina's mother Cora had unknowingly been in some of the same social circles. Plus, everyone in Connecticut knew the Forbes Montgomery's. She has to admit, Addison is a damn good surgeon.

"You treated his mother?"

"Yes, Marian Locksley; she was diagnosed with the same kind of cancer, which she inadvertently passed onto her son. She was actually advised to terminate but, she decided not to. She died almost immediately after the birth; it's a miracle that he's lasted this long" Addison says, handing over Marian's chart as Regina looks it over.

"I saw that they've been using a very aggressive holistic plan"

"Yes, my colleague Pete recommended a few doctors over in London but..."

"Roland's cancer has gotten even more aggressive; I wonder why they didn't come here sooner?" Regina thinks aloud

"It's...complicated; Roland's grandparents don't exactly see eye to eye on certain things"

"His grandparents? But I talked to-"

"His father?"

"Yes"

"Roland's father actually, gave Marian's parents custody not long after Marian died...they've been tied up court for the past year, trying to get things sorted out..."

"No worries, I can handle bickering grandparents, it can't be that bad" Regina says as Addison shaks her head.

"Something tells me you'll be regretting that statement shortly" the redhead mutters as the two women enter the room.

oOo

What they walk into is pure chaos; all of the adults are arguing, and in the middle of the bed sits probably the cutest little boy Regina has ever seen (aside from Henry of course). He is completely oblivious to the adults in the room having a shouting match with one another. He's too engrossed in the movie he's watching: Frozen. It takes Charlotte King to stop all of the bickering before Regina and Addison can introduce themselves. Regina keeps her hellos brief, focuses her attention on the little boy in bed. Giving him a once over, she's certain that he'll live...if the adults in his life come together. She pushes the rails on the bed and moves to sit next to Roland. It's only when he senses her presence does he remove the ear buds he's wearing.

"Hi" he says softly as she smiles at him

"Hi, my name's Regina, and you must be Roland"

"Uh huh; are they done fighting?" he asks, pointing at the adults in the room who hang their heads in shame

"I'm pretty sure they're done now...my niece loves Frozen" Regina says, just as Ana begins to sing 'Do you Wanna Build a Snowman'

"Oh, this is my favorite song" Regina says with a smile as she softly sings along, causing Roland to smile and sing along with her. By the time the song is finished, Roland is smiling, snuggled against her and it feels comfortable, natural even. While she's sure the adults in the room think she's crazy, it's just part of her approach when it comes down to her littlest patients.

"Regina?" Roland asks only moments later

"Yes Roland"

"My papa says you can help me not be sick...can you really do that?"

"Roland, when's your birthday?"

"In April, why?"

"Well it's almost October, what would you say if I said I could make you better by the time your birthday comes around?"

"You can do that Regina?" he asks, his eyes are wide, full of trust as she lightly taps him on the nose.

"I'm definitely gonna try; I'm not going to lie to you Roland, it's going to be hard, and you're probably going to get very sick...but if you're strong and brave, then you'll be okay. Do you think you can do that?"

"My papa's brave"

"Do you think you can be as brave as he is?"

"I can try" Roland says softly as Regina smiles at him

"That's all I needed to hear; tomorrow Roland, I'm gonna come back and meet with your papa and we're gonna talk about my plan to make you all better...I'll even bring you another movie to watch"

"What kinda movie?"

"Only my second favorite movie next to Frozen"

"What's that?"

"The Lion King of course" and with that, Roland lets out a huge gasp, causing the other adults to become alarmed. Though Regina can tell it's nothing to be worried about

"Regina...The Lion King's my favorite movie too!" Roland squeals as she chuckles; works every time

"So Lion King movie marathon tomorrow?"

"Do you have the second one? I've never seen it" Roland says and this time, it's Regina's turn to gasp

"You've never seen The Lion King 2?" she asks as Roland shakes his head

"Oh that is unacceptable; tomorrow, you and me, we're watching that movie" she says as Roland giggles

"So tomorrow, right?"

"It's a date; I'll bring the popcorn and movies"

"What do I bring Regina?"

"Why you of course; this date is my treat. Now, I've gotta go, it was nice meeting you Roland...see you tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow! I can't wait Regina, bye!" Roland says as she exits the room. The remaining 6 adults however are dumbfounded

"Papa, I like Regina!" Roland says with a smile

"So do I son" Robin says, his eyes still transfixed on the spot where Regina had been. There was something about her that gave Robin hope, hope that his son would live. Somehow, he knew that Regina would make good her promise and allow Roland to live to see his next birthday. It was the first time since his son had been diagnosed that Robin Locksley allowed himself to plan for a future with Roland in it.

_Chapter 2 to follow..._

* * *

**So, this is my attempt at modern AU OutlawQueen. Yes, I know there are some Grey's Anatomy/Private Practice references but, I couldn't help myself! I'm pretty sure this first chapter was the last you'll see of Addison Montgomery or Charlotte King and if you see them again, it'll be brief. I think you guys will like how things sorta fall into place with this story. I hope you're intrigued and that you decide to keep reading. Please note that I am not a medical doctor so, some of my medical jargon will be off or inaccurate. Until next time you guys!**

**Xx**


	2. Chapter 2

"What the hell was that?" Addison Montgomery asks as she and Regina sit in Charlotte's office following their meeting with Roland and his family.

"You promised a patient that he wouldn't die. He has advanced stage 3 cancer. My colleague has been treating him and his family since before he was born. There is no way you can provide them with a cure. You're not God, Dr. Mills" Addison says as Regina just sits there and looks at her, glancing over at Charlotte, who's wearing a huge grin. She knows Regina, knows that the brunette is about to let Montgomery have it.

"Are you done, Dr. Montgomery?" she asks, not bothering to see if Addison is finished, she doesn't care

"Let me make this clear to you, Roland, is my patient; not yours. Now, you may have treated his mother, but I'm treating him. He's a scared 5 year old little boy, and I wasn't going to tell him what he's probably already heard before, that he's going to die. I don't like to take that approach with my little patients. Do you have kids Dr. Montgomery?"

"Yes, a son"

"How would you feel, as a parent, if someone told your son that he was so sick that he was going to die? You might already know that but it doesn't mean you want to hear it, and I'm certain that you wouldn't want someone telling your son that either, would you?"

"No..."

"So why would I go in there and tell Roland that he was going to die?"

"How can you be so sure he's going to live, you didn't even do an assessment! You sat there singing songs from Frozen with him!"

"I'm surprised you actually know what that is Dr. Montgomery" and this time, Charlotte lets out a rather loud snort of laughter.

"Look, you deal with pregnant women everyday, I deal with patients of all ages. I've dealt with a lot of small children, and in my experience, I've learned that you want to make the child as comfortable as possible. So if I have to sit and watch Frozen fifty times then so be it. I'm going to do everything I can to make my patient comfortable enough to trust me, because if I go in there with both guns blazing, speaking in medical jargon he doesn't understand, then there's no way in hell he's going to sit there willingly while nurses are putting an IV in his arm that's sending toxins thorough his body...we're two very different doctors with two very different beliefs and practices. However, we're going to be seeing quite a bit of one another so, we have to learn to work together and respect each other. So, you stay out of my way and, do whatever is it you're supposed to be doing on this case, and I'll do my job and save Roland." she says and with that, Regina Mills is strolling out of Charlotte's office, leaving Addison stunned and Charlotte grinning like an idiot.

oOo

She's walking down the hall, shaking her head as she bumps into someone

"Oh, I'm sorry..."

"My apologies Dr. Mills"

"Regina, Regina's just fine, seeing as we'll be seeing a lot of each other for a while" she says to Roland's father who extends his hand

"Well, since we're going to be on a first name basis, I'm Robin"

"It's nice to meet you Robin; I hate that we're meeting under such, unfortunate circumstances but-"

"Can you do it, can you really save him Regina?"

"I'm going to try; I'm not going to lie to you, this is gonna be hard. Roland is going to get sick, sicker than you've ever seen. He'll probably get worse before he gets better, but I'm pretty confident that he'll live"

"My friend Belle, she told me about you; she said you treated her younger brother Chip..."

"Ah yes Belle; I remember her, she got to know my former colleague Killian Jones back in New York pretty well; they're both British as well "

"I know Killian, he's a nice mate; she told me you were the best, it's why I came here in the first place"

"Do you mind me asking why it took so long for you to-"

"It's complicated; I gave Roland away when he was born. I was in still the military when Marian got pregnant and, I wasn't capable of raising a child, a sick child at that. I couldn't...I'm ashamed I gave up on him"

"We all make mistakes Robin, but the fact is, you're here now and you're apart of Roland's life, and He seems to adore you"

"He's quite smitten with you as well; he's been talking about you nonstop"Robin says, causing Regina to blush

"I have a son so..."

"A son?"

"Yes, Henry; he's 12"

"Your husband must be-" Regina shakes her head

"Single parent"

"Divorce?"

"Nope ever married" she says holding up a ring-less left hand, Robin looking to her to continue

"I adopted Henry" Robin nods in understanding

"I find it hard to believe that a woman like yourself has never been married"

"Well it's true; I was almost married, once"

"Almost?"

"My fiance Daniel he, he died"

"I'm so sorry"

"We were young, 22; I was fresh out of college. We decided to volunteer with America's Voices and we ended up going over to the middle east. We went during the worst time; tensions were high. Violence broke out in the streets...Daniel got killed trying to help some of the civilians get to safety" Robin looks absolutely horrified by her tale

"I'm so sorry Regina" she simply nods in understanding

"It's fine; I survived, went on to medical school, adopted Henry...I like to think I made Daniel proud" she says with a smile as Robin nods

"I'm sure he would be; you're quite a fine surgeon...if you don't mind me asking, how long had you two been together before he..." she simply smiles

"High school sweethearts; we would've married sooner but, my mother...that woman, she wouldn't allow it, forbid me to marry him" she shakes her head as she thinks about her mother.

oOo

"_You're not going to marry him Regina. His family owns a stable, the stables that you ride at!" Cora shouts at her now 18 year old daughter_

"_Mother please; Daniel's family has money" Regina says, running a hand through her long dark hair_

"_There's no way I'm letting the heiress to the General-Mills fortune marry someone who's family made their millions by breeding horses, unacceptable"_

"_Well I'm marrying him, he proposed last night; I said yes" Regina says quietly as Cora scoffs_

"_Like I'll ever let that happen"_

"_You let Zelena go off to study ballet" she says of her older sister_

_They may have the same mother, but Cora's made sure to put a rift between her girls by making it known that Zelena's father Jonathan was noting more than a common street rat while Regina's father Henry was able to give her the life she wanted, the life she deserves. Henry however, never treated Zelena any different, even if his family thought him to be crazy for marrying a woman who had a bastard child. Zelena, now 19 is studying ballet at Julliard. It had been her passion since Henry had taken her to the ballet when she was 3. He placed her in lessons, went to every one of her recitals. Cora however, never saw an interest; she was too busy prodding over Regina , trying to turn her into the perfect debutante. As a result, Zelena never comes home to visit, only calls Henry, barely acknowledges Regina and Cora exist, though Regina wishes her sister didn't hate her so much._

"_Zelena's different; she's not you, she's not set to inherit billions"_

"_Mommy" Regina whines, though changing her tone when Cora looks at her sharply; such words as 'mommy' were forbidden of either Mills girl. _

"_Mother, I just wanna be happy" Regina sighs_

"_And you will be, once you finish college, though I don't see why you really want to go" Cora says rolling her eyes_

"_Because I want to; I want to be more than just a pretty face mother" she can't recall how many times she's told her this._

"_Still, marrying Daniel is unacceptable; it's already bad enough that you're going to college. You can't marry Daniel, end of discussion"_

"_I can and I will!"_

"_Over my dead body" Cora challenges_

_And of course she wins, she puts that specifically in her will. Regina can only marry Daniel if Cora dies. Of course Henry, Regina's father adds in a stipulation, she must finish college and medical school-just in time for her to gain access to her trust fund. He knew that Cora would take Regina's trust fund if she married Daniel before then._

* * *

"I take it that the two of you don't get along?" Regina shakes her head in response

"She pretends that she's proud but, she's disappointed, in both my sister and me"

"She's appointed in both you and your sister?"

"Yes; my sister, Zelena, she danced with the American Ballet. She teaches at Julliard. She's married, has a daughter, Merida...Zelena and I have different fathers, though my father took her in and loved her as if she were his own" Regina shrugs, like this sort of thing is normal

"I've been talking too much about my family, we should be discussing Roland" she says, suddenly feeling like she had a bad case of diarrhea of the mouth; she can hear her mother scolding her now.

"No, no, it's fine; I quite like getting to know you, since we're going to be seeing quite a bit " he says; she finds his smile charming, could see the two of them becoming friends; sharing stories about their kids-once Roland gets better of course.

"Robin, I want you to know that I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure I keep my promise to Roland

"I'm sure you will; something tells me that you aren't a woman who goes back on her word, if she can help it"

"You know me so well" she teases

"I hate to run but...Roland's waiting"

"I understand, I've got some things to do myself, but I'll see you tomorrow?"

"For your date with my son?" Robin chuckles

"How has he not seen The Lion King 2?" she jokes

"Blame his mother's parents, he's only just learned the greatness of Disney in the last few months" Robin says as Regina shakes her head

"How?"

"My Marian's parents do things...quite differently than others" Robin says quietly; Regina understands though

"Well, I won't keep you from him for too long. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, hopefully without the arguments"

"Ah, I apologize for that; maybe you'll be properly introduced to everyone tomorrow"

"I hope so; I'll see you around Robin"Regina says as she walks away

"Something tells me you will"he says quietly

oOo

Just as she rounds the corner to her office, she looks up and meets the eyes of Emma Swan, Henry's birth mother. The two have meet sparingly; once when the adoption process began, again when Henry was born, and just a few months ago when she came into Regina's office, informing her that she was working at St. Ambrose

"Miss Swan, what a surprise"

"Dr. Mills" Emma nods

"Regina, Regina's fine; I suggest we get on a first name basis since you are my son's birth mother and all.

"I...yeah, about that; I know Mary Margret's probably been pestering you and Henry about when we'll meet but, Regina I want you to know that in no way do I want to take Henry away from you. I just, I'd at least like to get to know him, and the woman that's been raising him" she can't argue with this. As far as her taking Henry, there's was no way in hell that was happening. Their agreement was legal and binding-no backing out.

"I understand Miss Swan, however I want Henry meeting you to be on his terms. In no way is he to be forced into doing anything he doesn't want" Regina says and Emma smiles

"You really love him, don't you?"

"He means everything to me; Miss Swan-"

"Emma, Emma's just fine"

"Okay, Emma...I know I told you this before when I took Henry home but, thank you, for choosing me"

"I just wanted what was best for my son...I'm just curious as to how you've managed it for 12 years being a single mom and all"

"I have help, my fiance's sister, and his family, they help out with Henry and Mary Margret and David help when I need it"

"Mary Margret didn't mention that you-"

"Oh, no, no; my fiance Daniel, he passed away long before I adopted Henry...I'm just still very close with his family"

"Oh, I see; but there's no one special in your life, no guy?"

"The only guy in my life is Henry" Regina says with a smile as an awkward silence forms between the two women

"Well, I've gotta take this paperwork to HR so..."

"Emma, wait! I could talk to Henry about how he feels about seeing you and if he's comfortable with it then, we can set something up?" she suggests as the blonde nods, keeping her eyes forward. Regina has a strange sense of respect for the young woman that birth to her son as she heads into her office and calls Clarice.

Santa Monica

A picture of her son sits on the desk of her office as she stares at it fondly. She misses him everyday, her first born and only son, tragically taken from her. The phone rings, an Oceanside area code; St. Ambrose Hospital, a private line, she knows that it can only be one of two people, her daughter Isobel, or Regina.

The soft but baritone voice that came through the phone could only belong to Regina, her Regina.

"_Clarice, hey_"

"My darling Regina; how are you?"

"_Good; tired but good...I got your message this morning"_ Clarice nods

"I figured you were still at work"

"_Parent teacher conference_" Regina says, and Clarice can feel the smile coming through the other end of the phone

"And how is that adorable grandson of mine?" she asks, she knows it makes Regina uncomfortable to hear but, in her mind, if Daniel hadn't died, Henry would definitely be her grandson; and she loves Regina no differently

"_He's fine, growing like a weed; I realized something yesterday_"

"What's that?"

"_That I have a pre-teenage son_" Clarice chuckles, recalling how Daniel was at that age.

"_My baby's growing up on me...I don't think I'm ready for that. Pretty soon girls will be calling my house to speak to my baby"_

"Well I hope that the girls Henry brings home are just as wonderful as you are Regina"

"_Clarice..._"She knows that sigh; Regina's never had the best confidence in herself, it's something Clarice has been trying to work on for years.

"I know, I know; have you talked to that daughter of mine?" Regina chuckles

"_Yes, I talked to Tink this morning when she dropped Henry off at school for me. She's working the evening shift at the hospital_"

"Well I'm hoping that you two will come out to the ranch for Daniel's birthday; we've missed having you come" Her voice is soft, hopeful that this is the year that Regina will come. She hasn't visited since she adopted Henry

"_I plan on it; I think, I think Daniel would be happy to see me happy_"

"And with some love in your life"

"_Let's not go there_" Regina chuckles as the conversation easily changes to happier, lighter topics like work and such. Regina tells her of Roland, and Clarice's heart swells with pride and how hard Regina works to save lives.

"Is the father at least attractive?"

"..._He is_"

"You should ask him out" Regina laughs at this notion

"_I wonder where Tink gets her ability to be so invasive from_?" Regina teases

"I just want to see you happy dear"

"_I know, I know...shoot, mom, I'm being paged for surgery. We'll talk later_?" Clarice smiles; Regina doesn't' even realize she's called her mom. Old habits die hard she guess

"I understand dear, go on, go save someone's life. And do tell your sister to call me" Regina chuckles at this

"_I will, mom_" maybe she did notice?

Once she hangs up the phone, she picks up the picture of Daniel and smiles

"One day, she'll find love again dear, just like you would've wanted. She says she's coming to the ranch this year for your birthday. It'll be nice to see her, and no her sneaking out to visit your grave doesn't count. I miss her...and I miss you too Daniel" Clarice says, pressing a kiss to the photo before placing back onto the desk as she leaves the office, going on about her day.

_Chapter 3 to follow..._

* * *

**I'm so amazed by the amount of follows this story has gotten! Thank you all so much! This is my first attempt at modern AU, and I'm guessing by your follows that you're enjoying it. I was scared to try it at first but, after I read "Baker's Dozen" by somewhere apart I was intrigued by it. But when I read another modern AU story by LadiesofSherwood last night, I knew I wanted to try my hand at writing modern AU. I have to say, it's quite easy, and refreshing, because there's no set storyline to follow, no re-watching scenes to get certain lines and phrases correct. Plus, I have the opportunity to explore and play more with the characters. If you're a Disney fan, you'll notice that I've already made 3 Disney refrences. Elinor, one of Roland's grandmothers' is from Brave, Zelena's daughter Merida is from Brave, and Daniel's mother is the wonder Julie Andrews from The Princess Diaries saga-love Julie and Princess Diaries. Thank you all so much for the love you're giving me and this story!**

**Take Care, **

**Xx**


	3. Chapter 3

3:00 comes quicker than she thinks, and she always tries to meet Henry when he comes to the hospital. She finds him in her office, working away at her computer. He looks up and smiles at her; she loves that smile. It's the thing she looks forward to the most after a crazy day.

"Hey mom, how'd things go with your patient?" Henry asks

"Good, I just hate that he's so young and dealing with something like this" Regina says as she makes her way across the room to reach Henry. Almost instantly, her arms are around him, pressing a kiss to his head. She silently thanks whatever God is out there that her son is healthy, happy, safe, and most of all, loved.

"I love you Henry" she says quietly

"I know, I love you too" he wraps his free arm around her waist as she stands there a few seconds more, breathing in his scent. While she loves her job, she hates that she sees so many young patients Henry's age, some of them younger than that. Their cute mother-son moment is ruined as Mary Margret sticks her head into Regina's office. Her eyes are puffy and Regina already knows what this is about: she's lost another patient.

"Oh, Regina, I'm sorry I didn't mean to-"

"How old was your patient?" she asks softly

"4" Mary Margret whispers as Regina easily strolls across the room, offers the woman a comforting pat on the back; she's not big on emotions with anyone other than Henry, and her niece Merida, whom she sees occasionally.

"I'm really sorry Mary Margret"

"It's fine; I think Tink took it pretty hard, she was on my service today. She had a special bond with her, Jamie was her name"

"Where's Tink now?"

"I told her to take a break; you know she's got a soft spot for really young kids, especially since Wendy-"

"Yeah, I know; I'll go talk to her. You mind making sure Henry does his book report for Mrs. Lucas? And whatever you do, don't mention Emma" Regina says, muttering the last part

"Regina-"

"She came to me and we talked; I'm gonna talk to Henry about it, see how he feels. I'm not going to push him to do anything he's not comfortable with"

"You mean like your mother did?" Regina sighs, rolling her eyes

"Exactly like my mother did...I'm gonna go check on Tink, make sure she's okay" with that, she exits the room.

oOo

She finds Tink in one of the on call rooms, her eyes practically swollen shut from crying.

"She was 4 Regina, Jamie was 4...just like Wendy" no more words are exchanged, they don't need to be. Regina simply pulls Tink into a hug, soothing her tears.

3 Years Ago

"_You're where?! Pete no, tell me you didn't! Why? Because she's sick, that's why! Wendy should be in bed, resting! I know it's your weekend but she's got the flu! Why in the fuck would you-" she begins, but when she hears tires screeching, and Wendy crying for her mommy, her whole world stops. There's a loud crash, little Wendy's screams suddenly becoming silent._

"_Hello? Peter? Pete can you hear me? Pete! Pete answer me! Pete! Peter! Wendy!" her chest is tight as she drops the phone, her screams echoing through the house. She can barely remember Regina stooping in front of her, shaking her frantically, asking what had happened. She manages to croak out,_

"_My family is dead"_

_It was an accident; Peter wasn't paying attention, too busy yelling at her while trying to give Wendy some tissue for her runny nose. By the time he looked up, he was met head on with another car; he'd drifted into oncoming traffic, he swerved to avoid hitting another car, but the weather had been so bad that he lost control of the car, wrapped it around a lamp post. Tink's never forgiven herself for what happened. It turns out, Pete had drugs in his system; Tink never forgave him for that. She said she hopes the bastard rots in hell for senselessly taking their daughter's life, all because he had to make a fucking drug run._

"You wanna tell me what happened?" Tink sniffles, looks up at Regina and slowly nods

"It was exactly like Wendy, except worse; Jamie had been here 4 times already, but this time was the worst. She was my favorite patient, always happy, and so fun, so full of life. She was brought in because of the accident last week, she'd pretty much been comatose, until yesterday. She woke up and, she looked at me and smiled. Today when I went in to check her vitals, her pulse was low...we did everything we could Regina! I did everything I could but, Mary Margret said her pneumothorax that had worsened...I held her in my arms while she died, and her parents didn't even bother saying goodbye! It's their fault she was like this! I hate them Regina, I hate them so much!" Regina understands, she felt the same way about Daniel's death, blamed herself, blamed others. Tink has been miserable since Wendy died; Regina feels her pain.

"Tink, it wasn't your fault...Jamie wasn't your fault, Wendy was not your fault" she says gently, placing her hands on the blonde's shoulders

"Regina, I let her go! I let her go with him! I knew he was using-"

"Tink, you didn't know; nobody knew Pete had started using again. He had us all fooled, sweetheart, you couldn't have known. Jamie, you did all you could for her, I remember walking down the pediatric hall and hearing Jamie laugh and giggle, and that was because of you. You are a good person Tink, you're a good nurse and a good person and I don't ever want you to forget that" Tink nods, wrapping her arms tighter around Regina.

"You're such a good sister Regina"

"Ya know, when I met your family, I wished you were my sister too" Regina says as Tink laughs

oOo

"_Daniel, what if your family hates me?"_

"_They won't hate you Regina, I promise they won't, you've already met my mother and she adores you. My father will love you, and so will my sister"_

"_Remind me again why your sister's nickname is Tinkerbell?" Daniel simply laughs_

"_When my sister was born, she was this, tiny little thing with a tuft of blonde hair. When she was little, she would do this, scowl, just like Tinkerbell did in the Peter Pan movie, that and the fact that Tink had this, super curly hair, and my mother wasn't great at doing hair. So the only hairstyle she wore as a kid was this big puffball, just like Tinkerbell wore and well..." Regina is chuckling by now, wrapping an arm around him_

"_I can't blame you guys for calling her Tinkerbell; is it a family name or..."_

"_Oh, everyone calls her Tinkerbell, family, friends, the staff...she totally hates it though" Daniel says, opening the door to their house. It's nice, much smaller than Regina's house but still with a grand sense of taste and style. Clarice, Daniel's mother is coming down the stairs, a smile on her face_

"_Why if it isn't Regina Mills, and outside of her riding clothes at that! How are you darling" Clarice pulls her in for a hug, pressing a kiss to her cheek_

"_I'm fine thank you"_

"_Regina, just relax; you're just having dinner with my family" she says graciously moving through the house, instructing the maids on what should be done and how. Daniel squeezes her hand in reassurance._

"_You haven't told her we're seeing each other, have you?" Daniel chuckles_

"_She knows; she saw us kissing in the stables the other day" Regina gasps, her cheeks turning a deep shade of Pink._

"_Don't worry, she won't say anything, I promise" they reaching the dining room, which is elegantly set up; the large bay window has a perfect view of the ranch_

"_And this much be Regina, the boy who's stolen my son's heart" Daniel's father says, earning a smack and a hissing 'Joe, I told you not to say anything' from Clarice_

"_What? Wasn't that common knowledge?"_

"_No Joe, it wasn't; Daniel was going to announce it to us at dinner tonight" Daniel is completely tickled by the whole thing, while Regina stands there, unsure of what to do_

"_You'll have to excuse my husband Regina, he can be a bit of a handful at times. We're quite happy to have you here at Dinner with us, and as Daniel's girlfriend; once family, always family" Regina smiles at this sentiment_

"_Alright, Mrs. Potts has made dinner and...wait, where's Isobel? Isobel! Isobel get down here, we have a dinner guest!" Down the stairs bounds probably the most adorable 9 year old Regina has ever seen; and sure enough, her curly hair is pulled into a Tinkerbell esque bun._

"_Regina, this is Isobel, Isobel, you remember Regina don't you? She takes lessons at the stables" Isobel gives her the once over and smiles_

"_Hi, I'm Isobel, but everybody calls me Tinkerbell" she's chipper and has a bright smile_

"_Well, I like the nickname Tink better, you don't mind if I call you Tink, do you?"_

"_No, Tink's perfect"_

* * *

She leaves Tink after a few moments more before going to check on Henry.

"Hey, you get your book report done?"

"Yeah, I already emailed it to her; don't worry, Mary Margret checked it. She also monitored me like a hawk" Regina smirks, just like she would've done.

"She didn't say anything about Emma did she?"

"No, what'd you say to her?"

"I told her that Emma was our business to discuss and not hers; that I wasn't gonna make you do something you didn't feel comfortable doing"

"You mean like grandma did with you?" Regina playfully rolls her eyes

"Why does everyone keep saying that?"

"Mom, it's true"

"Okay so it is...I want you to tell me, how you really feel about Emma? Would you be okay with-"

"You're my mom"

"I know"

"Emma's not my mom; I mean, she's my birth mom but, you're my mom. You raised me, you do everything for me...you've been there, not her"

"Henry, are you, afraid that Emma will try and come in and overstep her boundaries?" he nods

"Oh, sweetheart, you know I would never let that happen"

"But Emma wants to see me?" Regina nods

"She'd like to at least, get to know you. She doesn't wanna be your mom, she just wants to see how you turned out. She said she's not gonna make you do anything that you don't wanna do"

"...And what if I say no?"

"Well, I'd be very disappointed in you but, I'd respect your decision"

"...And if I wanna see Emma?"

"It would be completely on your terms, not mine, not hers"

"Can I have time to think about?"

"Take all of the time you need, there's no pressure Henry"

"Thanks mom"

"No problem sweetie"

"No I mean, for being my mom...for adopting me. I don't think I could see anyone else being my mom but you" her eyes instantly well up with tears when she hears that tiny break in Henry's voice. She wraps her arms around him, tight, reassuring him that she chooses him, that she will always choose him.

oOo

They're walking through the hospital, arm in arm, debating about whether dinner should be Pizza or Thai-its' the one night out of the week that she doesn't cook, opting to eat out instead. She looks up when she spots Robin walking down the hall. His eyes met her and he nods his head slightly.

"Regina, fancy running into you again today"

"Yes well, I'm taking my son Henry home, or rather out for dinner. Henry, this is Robin Locksley; his son Roland is my patient"

"You mean the kid with Cancer?" she silently hisses his name with a glare

"I'm sorry about that Robin"

"It's quite fine"

"My mom's the best so your son's gonna be okay. I remember when I was 9 and I got the flu, she took off work for an entire week, stayed in bed with me and watched Star Wars and read Harry Potter to me"

"Your mother seems like an incredible woman; she's already promised Roland a Lion King marathon"

"He's never seen the Lion King 2 Henry can you believe that" Robin has to chuckle at Henry's outraged expression

"The Lion King and its sequel are Disney classics!"

"Which is why Roland and I are watching it tomorrow"

"Oh cool, can I come?"

"Nice try mister, but you have school...but maybe tomorrow afternoon you can meet Roland. I'm sure he could use a friend, since all of his friends are back over in London"

"You're from London?" Robin nods

"Awesome; have you ever met the queen?" Robin nods his head, stating that he's met her 'several times', and that his family is slight royalty, which perks Henry's interests grately

"Alright young sir, you and I have a dinner date and I'm sure Robin has to get back to Roland. Say goodnight to Robin"

"Bye Robin, see ya tomorrow!"

"It was nice meeting you too Henry; I'll be sure to have lots of stories about London when you visit"

"Cool, I wanna hear all about it; hey, have you ever met The Beatles?" Robin responds with how his father knows the Sir Paul MaCartney, which has even Regina freaking out a little bit.

oOo

Somehow, dinner ends up being food in the hospital cafeteria where Robin enthralls Henry and Regina in his tales about roaming the streets of London(and he really does know Paul!).

"Robin's pretty cool ma, I like him" Henry says as they finally leave the hospital a few minutes past 8.

"He is pretty cool; can you believe he knows Paul MaCartney?"

"I know right? So awesome! Do you really think you can save his son Roland?"

"Now I kinda have to since you're going to meet him tomorrow and you seem to really like Robin"

"Not as much as Robin likes you" Regina's eyes widen at that statement

"Mom, you can't tell me you didn't notice him staring at you the whole time"

"I'm not about to have this conversation with my 12 year old" she laughs

"Okay, okay...but mom, if he asks you out on a date-"

"Henry, I'm warning you"

"I just want you to be happy mom"

"And I am happy Henry, with you"

"The only guy I've ever heard you talk about is Daniel" she sighs at the mention of his name

"...Clarice, Daniel's mom, she called me today"

"Oh yeah, what'd she say?"

"She asked about you, told me about Daniel's birthday, and I think, I think this year, I wanna visit. Besides, I think its about you learned how to properly ride a horse"

"Really? That's so awesome! Will you teach me?"

"Of course; in fact, I'll even get on a horse and prove to you that I can ride"

"This is so awesome mom!" She smiles and wraps her arms around him

"I love you Henry, with all my heart, more than anything sweetheart"

"I know, I love you too"

_Chapter 4 to follow..._

* * *

**Aww, how sweet! Lots of RegalBeliever feels in this chapter. Plus, Robin and Regina meet again. Plus, you got a glimpse into Tink's past, which is pretty sad. I'm still feeling my way through this story, I may dig into Robin's past a bit in the next chapter but, I don't know. This time, I'm not planning anything out-unless I just get the urge to. Right now, I'm freeflowing off the top of my head. I'm so, so glad that you guys are loving this story so much. **

**It's starting to feel like "Together For Never" did in the beginning with lots of follows. For those of you following SWTWC, that update will be posted in a few hours (midnight Sunday my time). I start classes again for the fall semester again on Monday-yay! I'm so excited because I'm transferring schools and it's a really great school...I got a free hoodie when I went to registration. I'll have some free time in between my classes on Mondays and Wednesdays so, if I'm not in the gym working out, I'll try and work on updates. I must warn you, Roland is gonna get sick, very very sick, but fear not! This is a happy OutlawQueen story, so it will have a happy ending. Thank you all for reading, and please, don't hesitate to tell a friend about this story and leave me a review! This chapter should be posted in...mmm, another hour or so(I'm typing this update while I'm in the car on the way home from visiting my Aunt and Uncle for the weekend).**

**Enjoy everyone!**

**Xx**


	4. Chapter 4

By the time Regina arrives to work the next morning, Pete Wilder, another doctor consulting on the case is waiting for her.

"Dr. Mills, you've caused quite the stir" she frowns; who the hell is this guy. Obviously he can sense her confusion and introduces himself

"Pete Wilder, holistic medicine; I worked with Roland's family, treated his mother"

"Ohhh; Regina Mills, oncology" he seems like a hippie, she doesn't like him

"Like I said, you've caused quite the stir amongst Roland's grandparents"

"Did I?"

"Yeah, apparently they weren't fond of your approach with Roland"

"Oh, you mean the fact that I basically ignored them and watched Frozen with Roland yesterday"

"Yeah" she sighs, already annoyed and it's barely 8 am; people live to piss her off

"I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Dr. Montgomery yesterday, I-"

"No need to go over it; she came into my office and ranted for an hour. Nobody's ever put Addison in her place" somebody should've already, but Regina doesn't voice that statement aloud. They run into Charlotte as they walk down the hall; the blonde is wearing a hard look, not a good sign.

"Roland's grandparents weren't too pleased with yesterday"

"I was just being informed by Dr. Wilder here; if no one is happy with my approach, why the hell was I asked to save this kid?" Charlotte sighs, knowing very well what Regina is about three seconds from doing.

"Humor 'em R'Gina; they're British"

"I don't give a damn if they're penguins! They asked me to save their kid; I'm not about to go in there and scare him half to death!" Again Charlotte sighs, simply turns around and leads them towards her office.

oOo

Robin is furious, pacing the length of the office; his mother reaches out and gives his hand a light squeeze.

"Robin, relax"

"How can I relax? They're about to give this woman the third degree!"

"It's what she deserves; what I saw yesterday was if nothing but unprofessional" Jane, Marian's mother says; Robin's never liked the woman...stuck up bitch.

Thankfully, Charlotte walks in at the perfect time, just as Robin's about to give the old broad a response. Regina is behind her, Dr. Montgomery and Dr. Wilder who had treated Marian follow. He can't help but drink in Regina's appearance. She's in scrubs this morning; she must've had a surgery before being unnecessarily being pulled into this meeting.

"Sorry to keep y'all waiting; Dr. Mills was in surgery" just as Robin had guessed

"Mrs. O' Malley, I understand there was a problem with my approach towards Roland yesterday?" Regina tries to remain as calm as possible, but this is really starting to piss her off. Tremaine O'Malley seems very much like Regina's own mother; she can already tell that they won't be getting along.

"Sing alongs? Movie dates and cuddles? Honestly, what kind of doctor are you?"

"Well, I'm a doctor who's worked with lots of children who are terminally ill and have no chances of survival. My patient is Roland Mrs. O'Malley, not you, and I intend to do whatever it is to make him comfortable. Right now, Roland needs to trust me; and I'm going to do whatever I have to do get him to trust me"

"He doesn't need to trust me, he just needs to get better"Regina sighs, shaking her head

"With all due respect Mrs. O'Malley, Roland does need to trust me. Those chemo treatments are going to be brutal, and we're going to need his full cooperation when we start, and I've learned that it's better to have his trust than to just-"

"I'm not paying you to coddle his needs, he's 4! I'm paying you to make him better; he can be coddled later" the woman is sharp and unapologetic in her words. She has no idea what she's in for with chemo treatments, which is odd considering her own daughter went through this exact same thing. Finally, Robin decides to step in and say something.

"Tremaine, sit down" his voice is tired, weary as if he's been up all night long which, he probably has.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, sit down; Regina's a fine doctor and I trust her"

"How can you trust her and you don't even know her?"

"I saw the way she was with Roland the other day; he trusts her and she's the best there is" Regina is surprised; they've only talked once and he's got such great confidence in her. Tremaine however, is still skeptical, which is her right.

"Mrs. O'Malley, let me assure you that while I was quite hands on with Roland yesterday, I've done my homework on him and I can assure you that my treatment will work" She's still looking at Regina as if she has something to hide, which she doesn't of course.

"And I've done my homework on you Regina Mills, heiress to the General-Mills millions. Your mother was nothing more than a commoner who wormed her way into the dregs of upper class society. Yes I know all about you dear, and just because everyone else may praise your work, doesn't mean that I trust you"

"My personal life, has nothing to do with my professionalism...and by the way, I stand to inherit billions, not millions" she just had to add the sass, because this woman is a real bitch. However Charlotte can sense the blowup that's bound to happen and steps in

"How 'bout this, we let Dr. Mills do her job, I can vouch for her and say that she's the best. From my understandin', y'all have exhausted all other options; Roland needs chemo and Dr. Mills is the best" Tremaine frowns, still not convinced, so Regina decides to reach out to the mother in her.

"Mrs. O'Malley, would you really feel comfortable with someone talking to Roland in a medical jargon that he doesn't understand, only to tell him that there's no hope and that he's bound to die? As a parent, it's not something I'd want my son to hear"

"You have a son?"

"Apparently you didn't do your homework so well; I do I have a son, Henry; he's 12 and I would do anything for him Mrs. O'Malley, and I'm willing to do the same for Roland"

"And why's that?"

"Because, saving lives is what I do; I take on the toughest cases that others simply walk away from...it's who I am" Tremaine still looks skeptical but says nothing more, instead she leaves the room.

"Well, if we're done here, I do believe I have a date with the cutest 4 year old in this hospital" Robin sits there for a second, frowning at Regina's words before following her.

oOo

"Regina, wait!"

"Is everything alright Robin?"

"Everything's fine; I was just, thinking, about what you said to Tremaine"

"What about it?"

"...Nothing, forgive me for interrupting you, I'll see you later" she stops in the middle of the hallway and stares

"What were you going to say Robin?"

"This is going to sound crazy but, your reasoning behind wanting to save Roland almost sounds like it comes from a place of...guilt" when she doesn't respond, he's sure that he hit the nail on the head.

"What could possibly-"

"My fiance, Daniel...how did you know I feel-"

"In case you've forgotten milady, I know what loss and guilt feel like as well. I was away on duty when Marian got sick. I don't blame you, for throwing yourself into your work...but saving all of those lives, saving Roland's life won't change the fact that he's gone, Regina" by the time she turns around, there are tears in her eyes

"I know; but it makes me feel good that I can save someone else. I promise you, Robin that I'm going to save your son"

"Maybe, maybe Tremaine was right; maybe you aren't-"

"No, I can...I'm not emotionally attached or anything like that"

"I wasn't saying you were; I was simply saying that...nevermind, would you like to go out for coffee one day. Maybe we can talk about your fiance and you can tell me your game plan for saving Roland"

"You're willing to go out with me, even though I just told you I'm saving your son out of guilt?"

"I know that it's not 100 percent complete guilt...plus, I'm pretty sure I can help you cope, with the loss. So, what do you say? Coffee with me, whenever you're free?"

"I'm free after I see Roland so, that sound good?"

"That's actually perfect; see you in a little bit then?"

"Yeah, see you" and with that, Regina heads down the hall and off to her movie date with Roland.

_Chapter 5 to follow..._

* * *

**Sorry for the long wait! I started a new semester of college and I'm still trying to get adjusted to everything-the one thing that's killing me? My 8 am Tuesday/Thursday class...but I won't dive into that, I'll just send you all on with a new update. I'm impressed with the following this story's getting, I can't wait to see your reviews! Be on the look out for another update of SWTWC on Sunday and possibly, new chapters of The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyway and The Man With The Lion Tattoo this weekend as well!**

**Take Care, **

**Xx**


	5. Chapter 5

Israel-1999

_The heat is unbearable, it's the one thing she misses about Connecticut this time of year, the cool brisk air that came from the seashore. Here in Israel, the sun beats down on them relentlessly. She's here with a few of her classmates and Daniel, her sweet, sweet Daniel, her fiance of just over 4 years now. She's been forbidden to marry him before she reaches 26, 4 more years to go. It's not so bad though, by the time she reaches 26, she'll be Dr. Regina Mills, and she'll have access to her trust fund, a cool 50 million dollars. By then, there will be nothing her mother can do about it. She's to start med school at John Hopkins in the fall and she's excited. _

_She hates leaving Daniel so far behind (He'll be going to Northwestern in the fall, graduate school). The distance hasn't killed them so far; she went to Harvard for college while he went to Brown. They made it work, flying home every chance they could, finding places to meet in the middle, not to mention their very high phone bills. It's worth it though, every time she looks down at her left finger where her beautiful 4 karat diamond ring sits. They've decided to go to Israel as part of a tour group, America's Voices. While Israel is beautiful, it's also very dangerous also; there's been talk of war recently. They're not really worried, though they should be, for tragedy awaits them just 3 days later..._

oOo

By the time she makes it to Roland's room, he's sitting on the bed, a huge grin on his face as she enters.

"You made it!" she can't help but chuckle at how adorable he is; he reminds her so much of Henry at that age, only Henry wasn't sick like Roland is.

"Did you think I wouldn't come?" Roland giggles as she holds up a bag of popcorn and the movies.

"So, what are we watching first young sir?" Roland taps his chin thoughtfully

"Mmmm...Lion King!" Regina smiles softly as she heads towards the dvd player, popping in the movie. Roland watches her fill the bowl of popcorn before moving to sit down in the plush chair nearby just as the movie begins

"Regina?"

"Hmm?"

"...Will you lay with me?" His voice is soft as he looks over at her with those big adorable brown eyes

"Sure Roland" and with that, she kicking off her shoes and crawling into bed with a child that isn't her son; Roland is asleep by halfway through the sequel.

oOo

"He looks so peaceful" She looks up suddenly when she notices Robin standing in the doorway

"He was pretty tired; I saw in his chart that he had a slight fever yesterday?" Robin nods

"He did, but the nurses were able to bring it down"

"Robin, he's going to have to start chemo soon if I'm going to keep my promise to him" Robin looks at her thoughtfully, though there's something he's not telling her.

"What is it?" and with that, he sighs

"Tremaine...Marian's mother, she-"

"Lemme guess, she found another doctor, didn't she?" Robin nods sadly

"I'm really sorry Regina"

"It's fine Robin, really; not everyone agrees with my approach to how I treat my patients, especially my smaller ones" by now she's not looking at him, rather, she's running a hand through Roland's curly hair

"He got that from his mother, the curly hair"

"It's pretty obvious that he got the dimples from you" Robin smiles at the compliment

"That he did...again, I'm sorry Regina but, Tremaine-"

"It's fine Robin, really; this wouldn't be the first time someone's done this...though in the end-"

"I know that without your help, Roland will die...and a part of me thinks that Tremaine wants that" Regina frowns at this statement

"Why would she want to see harm come to her own grandchild?"

"Tremaine's not exactly the most...warmest of women" Regina makes a face at this statement as if to say 'no kidding'

"She reminds me of my own mother, Cora"

"Does she?"

"My mother wasn't exactly the warmest of mother's either; why do you think she's disappointed that I'm a doctor and that my sister is a world renowned dance instructor. Sometimes parents can have their own expectations for their children and when they don't live up to that well...you end up with parents like mine and Marian's."

"You say that with such ease" Regina laughs as she carefully makes her way out of the bed, pulling the covers around the small boy as she smiles fondly at him

"That's because I've seen mother's like Mrs. O'Malley a few times in my profession...but if there's one thing I know, those same mothers usually come running back the minute something goes wrong with treatment. How long before he-"

"Tomorrow" Regina winces at that

"How long would you have given him before you started chemo?"

"At least another day or 2; one to prepare him and the other to prepare you all. If you think chemo in adults is bad, its even worse in small children. Some kids die during the first round of treatment. Roland's case is especially rare; and I'm assuming that whatever doctor she got-"

"A Dr. Rodriguez I believe"

"Ah, Rodriguez"

"You know him?"

"I do; he works here, he's pretty good"

"But he's not you"

"No, he's not"

"Regina-"

"What happened Robin? Exactly why don't you have custody of your son?"

* * *

_Los Angeles-4 Years Ago_

_He can tell by the grim expression on the redhead's face that the inevitable is happening or has already happened._

"_Robin, I'm so sorry..."_

_Immediately, his legs feel like lead, and Pete Wilder is helping him sit down on the sofa in the waiting room as his body becomes racked with sobs; his wife is dead, his beautiful, precious Marian is dead, gone from the world. Never to take another breath, never again will he hear her soft, gentle laugh, never again will he be able to revel in her beauty while she sleeps. It's all over, all of it. His entire existence, his reason for being is gone, her light snuffed out far too soon. However, there is hope in all of this, very small but dim hope; their son is alive, he made it through the birth. However, his chances of survival are slim to none if there is no immediate action. He too has been cursed with the same disease as his mother, cancer._

_Pete, Addison and Cooper Freedman all vow to do whatever they can to keep his son alive. He's not even sure if that matters anymore. How can he raise a child with his Marian now dead? This was what she had wanted, what they had wanted. He's still very much serving active duty in England's army. There's no such thing as 'paternity leave'; he's lucky enough his commanding officers gave him this much time off, to come here and be with his wife. Technically, he had missed the birth of his son, because he'd been on a plane, desperately trying to get there. He'd been out in combat when he received the call the day before that Marian's water had broke sooner than they had hoped._

oOo

_He knew that the moment his son was born, both mother and baby would both need intense rounds of chemo if they were to survive. They had been advised to terminate the pregnancy, in order to give Marian her best fighting chance; but that wasn't what she wanted, wasn't what they had wanted. Her mother blames him, and her for Marian's demise; says she will never forgive him for taking away her little girl. She doesn't even bother to see Roland when she flies to America; only grieves for her daughter, never gives the boy a sparing glance before ordering her daughter's remains be shipped back to London for a proper burial. She tells Robin not to even bother coming to the funeral for his dead wife-he's not welcome there. _

_Robin of course idiotically respects that wish, seeing as he's virtually numb from the shock of it all. His mother and father, Fergus and Elinor of course fly out to America to help their grieving son and to see after their grandson. 2 weeks after Marian's death, Robin is called back into duty, however there is a small problem: what is he to do with Roland? The boy can't stay in the US, seeing as neither of his parents are US citizens; they had been in the states on a limited visa, getting help for Marian's illness. _

_His parents offer to take custody of the boy, but Tremaine, coming from great power in Europe, gets a court order citing that Robin is incapable of caring for a child while serving his country and instantly gets custody of Roland. He doesn't fight it because he feels guilty; guilty for not being there for his child, guilty for not being there for Marian, guilty for getting her pregnant on purpose (he didn't pull out or use a condom), but most of all, he feels guilty for telling her to get an abortion-even if it could've saved her life._

_Chapter 6 to follow..._

* * *

**Yes, I know, Marian's mother is evil...but every story needs a villain! Don't worry, Roland is not going to die-I'm sorry that the OutlawQueen interaction was short in this chapter, but it will increase in the coming chapters. I can't say exactly how much longer this story will be, but the next chapter will be the height of everything. So if I had to put a certain number of chapters left...I'd say 5, after this one. It's a pretty quick story, I see no need to draw it out. There's a happy ending for everyone, especially our favorite couple! If you felt disappointed that you didn't see enough of Regina's back story with Daniel, fear not, the rest of that sad story will be continued in chapter 6-I sort of wanted their stories to blend just a little bit. I'm so happy that you all are enjoying this story so much-thank you for all of the follows and reviews, they mean a lot to me!**

**Happy Sunday!**

**Xx**


	6. Chapter 6

_New York-2010_

"_So that's it, you're moving?" Zelena asks her sister; it's one of the rare times the two get together, better yet see each other outside of holidays and the occasional wedding or funeral-whichever comes first._

"_I need change Zee" _

"_Well what about Henry? What are you going to tell him?" Regina takes a sip of her wine as she stares at her sister_

"_I already told him"_

"_And, how'd he take it?"_

"_Like any other 8 year old his age would... I told him we're going to live on the beach and that we're right down the street from Disneyland; he's already started packing his bags" Zelena can't help but laugh at this _

"_Okay but seriously, what's up with this sudden need for change; the Regina Mills I know-"_

"_Hasn't been the same since the love of her life was killed in Israel 11 years ago"_

"_But you've got a son, an amazing son who loves you. You've got guys lining up at your door to go out with you. Regina-" the brunette holds up a hand in response_

"_Daniel is all I've known since I was 15 Zelena; I had to fight like hell just to be with him. And then I lost him, so suddenly, so tragically at that...We'd have been married 7 years this year if-"_

"_I know; you miss him, so do I" Regina's eyes widen at this statement_

"_You do?"_

"_He was a nice guy; he made you happy, and that's all I've ever wanted...despite how much I made you think I hated you when we were growing up"_

"_It's too suffocating here; every memory I've shared with Daniel is on the east coast. I can't drive over the Brooklyn Bridge without thinking of the time when we stood in the rain and he asked me to marry him. I hate going home because of the stables...I need a change of scenery. Do you know I bought this place because-"_

"_You and Daniel looked at it?"_

"_Exactly; I've been raising my son in the shadow of my dead fiance. Henry deserves better than that, I, deserve better than that"_

"_Do you even have a job waiting for you?"_

"_Yep; an old friend from Hopkins has been begging to get me to come to LA for a while now. Plus, I'm a hot commodity..."_

"_And?" Regina rolls her eyes; Zelena knows there's something else_

"_New York Pres didn't offer me head of oncology" _

"_So you're leaving because you got snubbed for a job?"_

"_I'm leaving because, it's what's best for my son and I" Zelena sighs heavily and rolls her eyes_

"_Will you at least call? Merida's going to miss having her Aunty Regina around" Regina smiles and reaches across the table and grabs her sister's hand_

"_I promise to call and email as much as possible"_

Los Angeles-Present

"So she just, got another doctor?" Regina nods; she and Tink are having lunch at their favorite restaurant near the pier.

"Regina I'm so sorry; I know how much you wanted to save that little boy" Regina sighs wistfully

"I made him a promise Tink; and if he dies, which he very well could, well, that'll be another death on my hands"

"Hey, Daniel's death wasn't your fault Regina"

"It feels like it was"

"You know what you need? A date"

"No, oh no Tinkerbell..."The young blonde groans

"_**Regina**_! _You did __**not**__ just call me that out loud_!" Regina chuckles and smiles before apologizing

"I couldn't help it; you'll always be that 9 year old little girl to me Tink" the blonde smiles in return, giving the brunette's hands a squeeze

"You still need love" Regina sighs, rolling her eyes

"Don't, start"

"It's what Daniel would've wanted Regina, and you know it"

"I have love"

"You know what I mean; he would've wanted you to find love again, not sit around still mourning his death 15 years later."

"You were too young to remember but, I told your mother something after Daniel's funeral-"

"I remember; you said you'd never love again, and that no one would ever love you. I think the fact that you adopted a kid and you go out of your way to save lives everyday says something different. I'd say love is exactly what you need"

"Again, and I have that; with you, with your parents, with my sister, with my niece, with Henry..."

"Okay, and you spend all of your time looking out for all of us, protecting us; but who's looking out for you Regina? Who's taking care of you? Who's there to love you and to hold you, hell...when's the last time you had a good d-"

"We are not having a discussion about whether or not I've had any good dick lately?" Tink is surprised; Regina's usually so...polite about these things.

"I'm guessing that vibrator I got you a few years back is really doing the trick huh?" Regina waves a hand dismissively

"Oh please! I threw that thing out ages ago...what Charlotte King gave me, is so much better...it does the trick just fine thank you"

"What Charlotte King...ohhh; I keep forgetting our boss is also a sexologist over at Seaside Wellness. Hey, didn't they try and get you to join their practice once?"

"Addison's asked me a few times; Charlotte is trying to convince me not to"

"You two have a weird relationship"

"She offered me a new opportunity; I can't thank her enough for it"

* * *

"_Well, would ya look at that; never thought I'd see the day Regina Mills left the east coast" Charlotte King is there to greet her and Henry once they step off of the plane in Los Angeles._

"_I never thought I'd see the day either; Charlotte, this is my son, Henry. Henry, sweetie, this is my very good friend Charlotte King. She and I went to medical school together and, she's going to be my boss" Regina rolls her eyes at this statement, all good naturedly though_

"_Wait, I'm confused, I thought-"_

"_She adopted me" Regina looks down at Henry; he's been having a hard time adjusting to the realization that he was adopted. It's difficult for him to understand that Regina did not carry him for 9 months, even though she's been the one constant in his life._

"_There's nothing wrong with bein adopted Henry; sometimes, God gives us the parents we need instead of the parents we think we want. I've known your mama for a long time; my guess is that she's a pretty great momma, isn't she?" _

"_Yeah, she is" Henry looks over at Regina with a smile, and she loves him all the more in that moment. _

_Los Angeles is huge, she thinks to herself; Charlotte gives them a grand tour of everything and instantly, Regina decides that she fucking hates the traffic-God she's going to miss New York and the simplicities of life like the subway and taxi's. Their side of town, where her new job is is pretty okay; it's right near the beach-just like she'd promised Henry (which he thinks is so awesome). The only real problem is, real estate._

"_I know a good real estate agent you could use; though it depends on where ya wanna live" Henry of course instantly suggests living right on the beach; Charlotte chuckles before telling her about how Addison Montgomery and Sam Bennett-her soon to be co wokers, both bought houses directly on the beach. Regina mulls over the possibility of having a house that's right on the beach, but it's Henry's little face that makes her cave and call Addison; who gives her the name of an amazing real estate agent. _

_2 weeks later, she and Henry are the proud owners of a 4 bedroom, 5 and a half bath house with private access to their own personal patch of the beach land. They compromised because she wanted Henry to have the pleasure of growing up with a front and backyard to play in. The house is big, just for the 2 of them but, they love it the same. For Regina however, that first morning where she wakes up and looks out her window and sees the beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean brings a pang in her chest; days like today, she really misses Daniel. She's starting a new journey, a new chapter in her life. He should be there to see it, he should be their going through it with her, instead, he is over 3,000 miles away from her in, sitting in an urn at his parent's house._

oOo

"Do you miss it, the east coast?"

"I miss the snow, the fast pace of everything. I miss not having to buy a car...traffic here is a real bitch" Both women laugh at this; Tink knows from first hand experience that Regina's quite terrible when it comes down to her road rage.

"I'm glad this makes you happy; you deserve to be happy Regina"

"And I am" Tink rolls her eyes, knowing that Regina knows well what she means by that statement

"Let's talk about something else...let's talk about how amazingly sexy Roland's father is!" Regina groans; Tink is probably never going to learn

"Now you sound like your mother"

"Mom, what?"

"I mentioned Roland's case to her when we talked and she instantly asked if Robin was attractive"

"And is he?"

"I haven't really noticed-"

"You're full of shit G; I know you've noticed. You're a woman, how can you not...wait, don't tell me you've started playing for the other team! I mean, it's totally okay if you are but, think about what you're missing!"

"Okay one...I am not, playing for the other team. Two, yes, Robin Locksley is...insanely attractive" she can't help but close her eyes and moan at the thought of that rugged looking man, who was an incredibly amazing father.

"So you like him? I heard from Mary Margret that you and Henry had dinner with him the other day?" Regina groans; that Mary Margret couldn't keep her nose out of other people's business if she tried.

"He caught me leaving work with Henry and it turned into Henry being deeply impressed that Robin is from England"

"Was Henry impressed or were you impressed"

"He knows Paul MaCartney"

"No way shut up!"

"See? Exactly my reaction; it doesn't mean that I was falling in love with him"

"I never mentioned being in love with him...are you?"

"I can't be in love with a man I just met and have only had what, 3, maybe 5 conversations with him" Tink stares pointedly at her, waiting for the rest of her response

"Okay so...maybe I find him somewhat attractive, and the fact that he's so amazing with his son turns me on even more"

"Okay, so, ask him out!"

"I can't! Code of ethics, remember?"

"Regina, you're technically not his son's doctor anymore"

"I'm still not asking him out"

"And you're insufferable! You act as though you never want to be happy with another man again!"

"Maybe I don't! Daniel was the only man who saw me! Every other guy I've attempted to date, they didn't see me, they didn't get me! They only saw Regina Mills, heiress to the General-Mills fortune, or just some hot doctor, someone whose pants they could get into . Or, they were only set up for me by my mother..."

"Regina, you probably won't ever find someone who loved you like Daniel did; you were only 13 when you met. That's almost 10 years of being in love with the same guy"

"You're really going to talk? I haven't seen you try and find anybody else since Pete" Now it's time for Tink to really get worked up

"We're not talking about me; we're talking about you and how it's been 15 fucking years since you let yourself open up to a man. Daniel is dead, I hate to break it to you Regina but he's dead, and he's never coming back and you will never find anyone else like him, ever again. I'm not saying Robin is the guy for you, I'm saying, give love a try; it's what Daniel would've wanted. Plus, I think it's high time that Henry had a father figure in his life. He's growing up Regina and there are things that you can't teach him. You spend so much time looking out for other people Regina...who's looking out for you?"

_Chapter 7 to follow..._

* * *

**Like I said before, it's a slow burn; the real OutlawQueen stuff should start in a few chapters. I hope you all stick around for that!**

**Peace,**

**Xx**


	7. Chapter 7

_Israel-1999_

_Tension has been thick in Israel since they arrived less than 7 days ago. They've been told that their trip will most definitely be cut short. Regina understands but Daniel? He wants to stay, feels that there must be something they can do to help._

"_Daniel, we are not running away; we don't belong here" they're in their hotel room packing their things for their flight tomorrow_

"_What was the point of coming here Regina if all we were gonna do was run off and be afraid?" she hates it when he gets on his soap box, but it's also one of the things she loves about him._

"_Daniel..."_

"_I just...there has to be something we can do to help. Hey, I saw this place where we could volunteer" Regina sighs and rolls her eyes at him_

"_I'm guessing that mentioning it is your way of saying we should go huh?" Daniel cracks a smile at her before pressing a kiss to her lips_

"_I love that you know me so well" Regina chuckles_

"_I should; I've known you for so long and, I'm gonna marry you" her eyes are shining bright with happiness when this is mentioned, though Daniel's expression doesn't share the same sentiment_

"_Yeah, in 4 more years"_

"_Daniel..."_

"_Regina, why are we waiting 4 more years to do this?" _

"_Daniel, because it's the only way-"_

"_What, that you can have me and your money?"_

"_Daniel, you know it's not like that! I'm trying to go to medical school! I want to be something great, and right now...they're using that against me. Honey you know I want to marry you more than anything in the world. Please, don't fault me for wanting to follow my dreams, because you know that if we do this, if my mother finds out-"_

"_I hate her" Regina sighs, burying herself into his chest as she holds him close_

"_I know, I hate her too; but jut think about it, we'll both be going off to school and it'll be over with before you know it. I'll be Dr. Regina Mills and you'll have your master's degree and then..."_

"_No more sneaking around; I can have you whenever, wherever I want to" By now, Daniel's hands have started trailing up her sides as she laughs_

"_I thought you said-"_

"_Mmmm, right now; I'm in the mood to have incredible hot sex with my fiance, who will be my wife in...4, more, years" the last part comes out in between wet kisses on her neck as she pulls him backwards, leading them to the bed where they proceed to engage in several rounds of sex._

Los Angeles: Present

"Regina, I'm real sorry about Roland's grandmother" She and Charlotte are having their ritual cup of coffee before their shifts start

"It is what it is Char; they chose different"

"Maybe if you could-"

"Now who's the one that's emotionally invested?"

"I just...I hate seeing cases like this; he's only a few years older than my girls"

"Speaking of girls...I can't believe you have 4 children; 3 of them being triplets" Charlotte laughs

"I know, I know; sometimes, I find it hard to believe myself...but ya know, sometimes, what you think you don't want, turns out to be exactly what ya need..."

"Okay, now you sound like Isobel"

"Hey, why do you call her Tink?"

"It's a family name"

"Sometimes, I forget ya had this whole life back in New York"

"My life in New York was less than glamorous"

"I beg to differ"

"Trust me, when you grew up like I did in a world of rich WASPy society, New York isn't a place you'd care to revisit"

"She's right Charlotte, when you grow up as a WASP, you tend to want to forget it as quickly as possible" Charlotte and Regina turn and face Addison

"Montgomery; surprise to see you here so early"

"I had a patient come in...with false labor" The redhead sighs heavily

"That bad?" Regina chuckles as Addison moves to stand on the wall next to them and groan

"Actually, she was Jake's patient first and then when she finally got pregnant, she became my patient. I've never wanted to fire a patient more in my life"

"That bad huh?"

"Yeah, it is...Dr. Mills-"

"Regina, Regina's just fine"

"Alright then, Regina; I heard about what happened with Roland"

"You're still on the case?"

"Oh no; Mrs. O'Malley got rid of all of us"

"I don't get it, why would she-"

"Mrs. O'Malley didn't want Marian to come to the US"

"So she's punishing her grandson by not allowing him adequate care?"

"She didn't want Marian to have Roland; in fact, she never wanted Marian to marry Robin to begin with..."

* * *

_London-20 years ago_

"_Marian, sit up straight dear, Will Nottingham and his father will be here any moment" Tremaine O'Malley says to her daughter who sighs heavily, rolling her eyes_

"_But mother-"_

"_There will be no buts; Will is a nice guy"_

"_But he's not who I want to marry mother!"_

"_And I suppose that Robin Locksley boy is who you want?"_

"_Yes, I do; Robin is a great guy he-"_

"_Is nothing more than common street riff raff; he came from nothing!"_

"_Well maybe I don't want to be the wife of a duke! Mother I'm 18, I should be able to make my own decisions!"_

"_You're not 18 yet young lady, so until then I have the final say" Marian rolls her eyes as they reach the front door; she puts on a smile for the idiot Will Nottingham, who's grinning like a cheshire cat, his eyes roaming all over Marian's body. She can't wait until she turns 18, which is roughly 12 hours from now..._

oOo

Regina groans and shakes her head sadly before taking another sip of her coffee

"Ugh, that woman reminds me so much of my own mother until it makes me want to scream"

"Lemme guess, your mother didn't want you to be with your son's father either huh?"

"Uh, no...I actually adopted my son, Henry"

"That's funny"

"Why's it funny?"

"I adopted my son; his name's Henry too...he just turned 2 a few months ago"

"How ironic" Regina smiles

"Is Dr. Rodriguez any good?"

"Well he's no you that's for sure...just out of curiosity, how did you plan on handling Roland's case?"

"I'd done my research, looked at his medical history long before I met him. I'd worked up a treatment plan that, while it would've been very, very aggressive, it would've given him his best chance"

"Ya show any of this to Rodriguez?"

"I tried to...he politely declined my help; so did Mrs. O'Malley"

"I'm really sorry Regina" Regina sighs heavily, allowing the back of her head to hit the wall as she closes her eyes, trying her best not to think about Roland

"Yeah, me too"

oOo

_They're walking down one of the small strips holding hands; the weather here in Israel is much hotter than either one of them are used to, being from America. There's a slight breeze, though it's hot, but still a breeze nonetheless. Regina is leaning close to Daniel, his arm wrapped around her shoulder, they're both happy and in love. However that happiness is cut short by the sound of machine guns blasting. _

_quickly pulls Regina to the ground as she looks on in horror at the sight of people falling to the ground as bullets riddle their bodies. It's an all out war zone. She glances at Daniel, ready to shout that he should've listened to her. She quickly realizes that now is not the time to say I told you so. Not when their lives are at steak. Why, oh why couldn't this have happened after they'd safely gotten on their plane, headed back to the states. More importantly, why was this even happening? She's looking around at the people running around, screaming, crying, falling to the ground as they get trampled on. It's truly a horrible sight to see once the dust clears, though the screams haven't died down._

"_Are you alright?" Regina nods, still clinging to Daniel in fear, her eyes wide; from the distance, they can see a woman struggling to get herself and her 2 young children to safety. Regina can tell from the look in Daniel's eyes_

"_I have to help them Regina" her eyes are silently pleading with him not to, but when she looks over at the woman and her two crying children, she knows that helping them is the right thing to do. _

_Daniel plants a kiss to her lips, holding her close for a few moments before getting up and making his way through the clearing smoke to help the woman. She doesn't understand English, but she can tell by the caring look in Daniel's eyes that he wants to help her. Regina smiles at just how amazing Daniel is. Sadly, that smile turns into a look of shock as she jumps to her feet, screaming Daniel's name as the sound of bullets and gunshots begin again. She sees one bullet hit him, directly in the back, causing him to stagger. He pushes the woman and her children out of the way before hitting the ground. She tries to go towards him, but a set of hands pull her back and she's screaming, clawing at the person to let go._

"_You will be killed if I let you go" the voice is that of a man, deep, heavily accented; clearly an Israeli. The man holds her there until he's sure that the shooting has stopped. Once he lets her go, she races towards Daniel. Somehow, he's still alive, but barely; blood is pooling from his chest and his eyes are barely open. She pulls him into her arms, crying, begging him not to leave her. He blinks up at her and smiles weakly. He tries talking but she shushes him, tears rolling down her cheeks._

"_Regina, I'm sorry" he manages in between sputtering coughs of blood_

"_Daniel, no! No don't leave me, please!" He weakly reaches up to touch her cheek with his hand and she holds it there._

"_I love you, I love you so much" she whispers and he nods, he knows, he understands. _

_A small crowd has gathered, the woman whom Daniel had saved walks closer and Regina glares at her, holding Daniel close. The woman kneels next to her, bows her head and begins what Regina assumes is a prayer as others join in. Her movements still when she no longer feels Daniel's body take in shallow breaths against her chest; he's gone, Daniel is dead. The feeling of knowing that he's dead and is never coming back nearly kills her at she lets out painful screams, begging him to come back as she places kiss after kiss upon his lips._

_But there's no use, Daniel is dead and never coming back._

_Chapter 8 to follow..._

* * *

**There you have it, Daniel's death; it was pretty sad to write. Also, you'll see more of Marian's past and get a somewhat clearer look at why her mother's such a bitch. Lol. We're getting closer to seeing some real OutlawQueen interaction; oh and don't worry, Regina's going to save Roland's life as well. This story's a slow burn guys, it's taking me a while to get the ideas rolling. I think I'll be able to power out more chapters of this story once I finish SWTWC and get The Man With The Lion Tattoo to a decent point. Once that's done, I'll focus more on this story as well as The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyway. **

**Enjoy!**

**Xx**


	8. Chapter 8

Santa Monica:

The air is brisk, cool, beautiful as it flows through her hair. She hasn't been on a horse in years. Now however, she's on one, showing Henry just how good she really is. As she gallops through the field, her mind drifts back to Daniel. It's here on the horse, out in the open that she feels the most connected to Daniel. Often times, she allows herself to have conversations with him.

_I miss you, Daniel._

She loves the way the wind blows in her face, the fast pace of her heart as she and the horse jump over one of the hurdles. She honestly thought she wouldn't know how to ride again, but its just like riding a bike. She knows that she'll be sore in the morning but, this, is definitely what she needs. It's a break from the hospital and Roland's condition and Emma Swan and especially one handsome man by the name of Robin Locksley. By the time she brings the horse to a stop, Henry is standing there beaming with pride, along with Clarice, Joe and Tink.

"Mom, that was awesome!" She can't help but smile at Henry who wraps his arms around her; he thinks she's awesome.

"Well, I see 15 years off of a horse hasn't changed anything about you or the way you ride. You were wonderful dear" Clarice pulls her into a hug, just as her cell phone rings.

"Hello, this is Regina Mills"

"_Regina, hi, it's Robin Locksley_" So much for not thinking about him

"Robin? Is everything alright?"

"_No, no; I know you're not on his case anymore and Dr. King said you were out of town but...it's Roland. He's really bad off; he needs you Regina_"

"How, how did you get my number?"

"_I may have demanded it from Dr. King; who is standing right here and-_"

"_The boy needs ya G; Rodriguez's treatment ain't' working. Roland's refusing and then the grandmother tried forcing it but...he pitched a fit. He pulled out the IV...we had to sedate him but, his heart rate increased and-_"

"I'm in Santa Monica Charlotte, and with the traffic there's no way-"

"Is everything alright Regina?" Joe and Clarice look concerned

"It's my patient, well, my old patient Roland, he-"

"Is everything alright?" Now Tink is concerned, so is Henry

"No, it's bad; I need to get to Oceanside but-"

"I know people at a hospital nearby; I can have you flown there by helicopter" suddenly, she's thankful that Joe knows people in high places. She informs Charlotte that she'll be there as fast as she can.

"Henry, I'm so sorry we have to cut this weekend short but-"

"It's okay mom, go; save Roland, he needs you"

"Are you sure?"

"Regina, go; Henry will be fine here with us. Besides, he needs to spend some time with mom and dad" Right now, she's never been more thankful to have family like Tink, Clarice and Joe in her entire life.

oOo

She arrives at St. Ambrose approximately 25 minutes after talking to Charlotte and Robin. The blonde is on the roof top of the helipad waiting with Pete and her husband Cooper.

"How bad is it?" the four of them are briskly making their way towards Roland's ICU room

"Medically induced coma; he stopped breathing for almost 3 minutes" Charlotte's words stop Regina dead in her tracks

"Charlotte..."

"I had a neurosurge consult come in; she says it wasn't long enough to do any permanent damage"

"But damage all the same; what've you told Robin?"

"Addison's with him, and the shrink from our practice...they're trying to calm him down" By this time they've reached Roland's room where Rodriguez and his team are hard at work trying to fix things. However, Tremaine doesn't seem happy to see Regina, or any of them for that matter.

"What are you doing here? What is she doing here?"

"Mrs. O'Malley, Dr. Mills is your grandson's only chance right now"

"She's completely incompetent, all American doctors are!"

"Then why did you come to America if we're all incompetent?" Tremaine sends Regina an evil glare at this question

"I came because it's what he wanted; if I'd had my way-"

"Roland wouldn't have been born and I wouldn't have married Marian!" this is turning into an all out war right now with Regina stuck in the middle

"You're right! Right now my daughter would be alive and not dead!"

"She could've still gotten cancer even if she had married Nottingham!" by now Regina has had enough of the blame game and silences them both

"Out, both of you, out right now if I'm going to do anything to save that little boy's life I can't do that with you in here"

"You're not laying a finger on him; if you do I'll sue this hospital and I'll have your license" Now Regina is furious, but suddenly remembers a case she had like this once before. She gives Tremaine O'Malley a smirk before turning and walking away, but not without muttering a '_we'll see about that_'

* * *

It's the one phone call she doesn't want to make, but if she has to do it to save Roland's life, then so be it.

"**_Hello? Regina, is that you_**?" Her father's voice sounds exactly the same and it melts her heart. How her father could've ended up with a woman like her mother is beyond her. Her voice is soft when she responds

"Hi, daddy; how are you?"

"_I'm great, how's Henry_?" And then...her mother picks up

"_Henry, who are you talking to...Regina? Well, this is a pleasant surprise. You don't usually call us unless it's to wish us a happy birthday, or...whatever other holiday you decide not to come home for and deprive us of visits with our grandson_" Regina has to suppress a scream; her mother can be a real bitch some...no, most of the time. Her tone is tight, tense but still on the borderline of respect.

"Hello, mother; how are you?" Of course Cora doesn't respond with a simple 'I'm fine' like her father; instead it's,

"_What do you want Regina and how much is this going to cost us_?" She has to roll her eyes; she hasn't asked them for anything she the day she graduated med school and inherited her fifty million dollar trust (which has of course tripled since then; paying attention when Daniel talked business with her really helped show her where and how to invest and save money)

"I don't need money, mother; I need a phone number"

"_You called us for a phone number? Don't you have a phone that can simply look up the number in the yellow pages? Honestly dear..._"

"The number's not listed in the yellow pages; I need Judge Gold's number"

"_Ah; so it's a favor you need_"

"Not exactly but yes, sort of"

"_Regina honey, why do you need Judge Gold's number_?"

"_Is it because of Henry's birth mother? I told you not to listen to that Mary Margret..._"

"No, mother; it's for nothing like that. I needed his number concerning a patient of mine" and with that she gives the cliff notes version of Roland Locksley

"_Oh, I see; well we have Judge Gold's number_" It's pretty obvious that they do, otherwise she wouldn't have bothered picking up the fucking phone, but she humors her mother

"Thank you mother; could I have it please?"

"_I'm assuming that you and Henry will be at the gala for the ladies' auxiliary next Saturday_?" of course she has to bite her tongue to keep from yelling at her mother and she agrees (how she and Henry are gonna pull that one off is beyond her). Of course her mother easily gives up the number when Regina agrees; it's not like her to do something with no motive.

oOo

Once she hangs up, with a promise to call her father later. She dials the number for Judge Gold. Severus Gold, a prominent Judge in New York City, who was well versed in almost any form of law you could think of. She didn't bother the man, unless it was a dire emergency and this was one of them. Many, many years ago (back when Cora still tried to control her life) Gold has been her mentor when she was considering going into Politics. The relationship didn't last long and Regina doesn't talk about what happened between the two of them, ever. As if he can sense her calling, Gold picks up on the second ring. Apparently, her mother had called him first, because he answers her by first name.

"_Regina, surprised you called_"

"Yes, Judge Gold; how are you?"

"_Good, and you_?"

"Fine...let's cut the formalities Gold; I know my mother already called and informed you that I'd be calling you"

"_Cora may have mentioned it in passing_" she has to repress an eye roll, as well as keeping her lunch down.

"I'm calling because...I need a favor"

"_Regina Mills, calling me for a favor; never thought I'd see the day. Thought you said you didn't do favors_?"

"This favor is life and death; can you help me or not?"

"_What is it_?" she quickly explains Roland's case to him and he simply listens

"_Well dearie, I'm surprised you don't recognize what this is. We discussed a case like this once before, back when you were perusing your short lived law career_"

"I do remember; that's not the problem, I need a court order to save this little boy's life"

"..._And you want me to do it?_"

"You're the only man I know who understand both American and British law" she sighs, because she really and truly hates having to ask this man for anything.

Surprisingly, he agrees to it, with no strings attached. 20 minutes later, she's walking down the hall with a court order saying that she's got medical power of attorney over Roland Locksley; it's legal and legit, and it sends Tremaine O'Malley storming out of Roland's room, completely furious. With that, she's able to start treatment to save his life, which begins with waking him from his medically induced coma. That part is the worst because Roland awakes screaming and fighting, which is why she has Robin standing right next to her, pulling the boy into his arms. The sight of father and son locked in a fierce hug is enough to sting her eyes with tears. He's such a loving and good man; willing to go to all lengths for his son. The sight is a bit much for her so she leaves the room, orders nurses to check Roland's progress round the clock.

"_And just how in the hell did you get a court order from a judge that quick at this hour_?" She sighs heavily as she walks past Charlotte, past Pete, Addison and Cooper's inquisitive stares

"I made a deal with the devil" and it's true, she did; now the bigger problem was, just how in the_ hell_ was she going to pay back her debt?

_Chapter 9 to follow..._

* * *

**This story is slowly starting to wind down; things will start to progress quickly as far as Roland's treatment goes and you can expect something pretty big for OutlawQueen in the next chapter...and when I say big I mean that in a good way!**

**Xx**


	9. Chapter 9

"So wait, you had to agree to-"

"_**Yes Tink**_;_ I had to agree to fly__** all the way across the country**__ in order to get that court order from Judge Gold_"

It's Sunday night, just a few hours since she stepped back in as Roland's doctor and her mother agreed to give her Judge Gold's number. She and Tink are out to dinner with Charlotte, Cooper and their 4 children, Addison, her husband Jake and their son Henry, Pete and his...estranged wife Violet, their son Lucas, and Amelia Shepherd. Charlotte decided that they needed to celebrate this small victory to prepare them for the next hurdle, which is Roland starting treatment in the next few days.

"_I don't get it_; _**why couldn't your mother just give you the judge's number**_?" Addison's husband Jake doesn't really get it, doesn't understand the world from she comes from

"Because my mother's a complicated woman" Jake frowns at this and then turns to Addison who further explains it to him

"Regina and I come from a _much different world_ honey; we come from that world where mothers use certain things as bargaining tools in order to get you to do what they want" Jake nods and mutters a '_I'm__** so**__ glad my mother didn't make things so complicated_'.

"So who do you plan on taking with you as your date to the gala?" Pete's wife asks; Regina's worked with Violet a few times and she knows Regina's shrink Archie Hooper. He actually referred her to Violet once she moved to LA; she politely opted out of therapy sessions all together (though she still talks to Archie from time to time when things in her life get complicated).

"Oh, I don't plan on taking a date; Henry will do just fine" She gives her son a smile from across the table where he's thoroughly enjoying whatever game he and Mason are playing on their Game Boys.

"_**You're not taking a date**_? I mean, from what I hear, those gala's in New York are a pretty big deal and, _**please don't take this the wrong way**__, but_, you're too hot to be showing up without a date" Cooper pleadingly looks over at Charlotte, silently begging her not to get mad

because he said Regina was hot. Surprisingly, she doesn't mind.

"Coop's got a point G; ya are hot...why don't ya ask Robin to go with ya?" Regina's eyebrows raise and she gives Charlotte a pointed look when she mentions this as Tink grins at her.

"_Ya know, I was __**just thinking the same**_-"

"_Shut it, Tinkerbell_" And just like that, the blonde woman is fuming, hissing out an angry _'__**Regina**__, I thought I told you__** not**__ to call me that in public_', while Regina grits out a quick 'get over it', while still smiling at everyone else.

"Why don't you ask him; he is pretty attractive"

"Attractive is an understatement; I ended up talking to him after Roland had to be put in that medically induced coma. He smelled like the forest, but in a good way" By now Amelia Shepherd is practically drooling over the man

"As much time as you've spent with him, _**tell me you haven't noticed that woodsy, rugged man smell**_?" Even Addison nods at Amelia's statement; she can't deny it; she's been in close enough proximity to inhale that intoxicating scent of his. She went to bed a very happy woman several nights thinking of that smell.

"_What's the harm in asking_?" Charlotte is giving her a very pointed look

"_There are__** a lot of reasons why I shouldn't ask**_; _have any of you here ever heard of this thing called_..._oh I don't know__**, ethics**_?" Everyone at the table, minus herself and Tink grow silent at this statement, that is until Pete broaches the silence a few moments later

"Yeah..._we don't exactly, __do well__**,**__ with things like ethics_"

"_Meaning_?"

"Look, there are lines that we all agree shouldn't be crossed, but this isn't one of them; _There is absolutely no harm in asking Robin to go with you_. I'm sure your mother would be happy to see you with a date. _Trust me_, I know how those snobby elitists can be about a successful woman being a single parent" Addison casually glances over at Henry; before she married Jake, she was pretty much a single mom to her son Henry so she understands Regina's situation better than most.

"I still don't understand why things like that matter? _Why do I need a guy to validate all that I've done_? I'm successful, I'm a _great_ mother, why should whether or not I have a man on my arm matter"

"You're very apprehensive towards dating, I wonder why that is?" Charlotte gives Cooper a shove and a glare; Regina gives Charlotte a grateful nod

"Y'all leave R'gina alone; she's never been one to really conform to the rules of society"

"That's right, _you two __**do know one **__another_ outside of the hospital; you've_ gotta_ tell us about how Charlotte was in med school" Of course everyone agrees with Pete that Regina should tell stories about Charlotte in med school but Regina declines. Charlotte saved her ass from being grilled about a rather painful subject, it's the least she can do.

oOo

"Charlotte wait! I...thanks, for saving me in there" by now she's caught up to the blonde as she's headed to her car.

"No problem; 'swhat friends do. But honestly, ya've been in mournin for too long"

"_Charlotte_..."By now she's sighing and giving the Blonde a rather pointed look, causing her to hold her hands up in surrender

"_I know how much Daniel meant ta ya_; remember, I saved you when you tried to-"

"_And you promised me_ you would _never_ bring that up again"

"_And I won't_; but I know your pain almost better than anyone b'sides Tink. Henry needs a father...there are things ya just can't teach the boy G"

"_And_? Because I know there's an and with you Char..."

"Ya need to get laid; I'm only gonna supply ya with vibrators for so long" she glares at Charlotte, turning a bright shade of red as the blonde grins

"_Oh c'mon_! I'm not saying ya've gotta marry the man, just ask em out..._**and**__**try to get laid!**_" Regina rolls her eyes in annoyance

"_Alright__** fine**_, _I'll __**think**__ about asking him to go with me to the gala_"

"That's all I'm saying" Charlotte gives her friend a small smile and a light hug before heading to her car with Cooper and their children.

oOo

Friday comes quicker than she expected it to and she has to explain to Roland that she won't be here this weekend.

"Where are you going Regina?" his face is scrunched up in confusion; he looks so small now, lying there in that hospital bed. His first week of treatment has been hell, but he's still alive somehow.

"I'm going to New York, _but __**just**__ for Saturday_; I'll be back first thing Sunday morning, I promise" Roland simply nods in understanding after she tells him that there's no need to worry; he trusts her, fully and completely. Robin however, is skeptical of anyone other than Regina taking care of his son and decides to ask her about her plans for the weekend.

"Regina?"

"Yes, Robin can I help you with something?"

"I'm curious about why you're going to New York on Saturday"

"_Well if you must know,_ in order for me to get that court order I had to make a deal with the devil"

"_The Devil_?"

"My mother; there's a big gala for the ladies auxiliary this weekend _and_, for giving me Judge Gold's number, that's the price I have to pay"

"_Going to a gala in New York_?" Regina nods

"You don't seem to thrilled about it"

"_That's because I'm not_; it's not the gala I'm dreading, it's seeing my mother"

"Ah; I remember you mentioning once before that you two didn't have the most, ideal relationship"

"We don't"

"So why are you going?"

"Because, it's what I have to do"

"Then allow me to go with you" This statement causes Regina to stare at him

"_Why_?"

"Regina, you risked a lot to save my son; you've agreed to seeing your mother, whom you clearly have issues with. _Please_, allow me to accompany you to the gala; it's the _least_ I can do"

oOo

Saturday evening as promised, Regina meets Robin in Roland's room; he's in bed with the boy reading him a story, complete with high pitched voices that make Roland giggle. Neither one of them notice her until the story's over. Roland's smile seems to grow 10 times wider at the sight of Regina in a dress.

"Wow R'gina, you look like a princess!" She blushes; she doesn't think she does, it's just a simple Badgley Mischka dress.

"Roland's right; Regina you look..._stunning, __**absolutely stunning**_" Robin's comment only makes her blush even more as she gives him a small smile. She takes the time to take in his rather wrinkled attire and she decided that damn, he still looks good, even in a suit lying in bed reading to his son. Her heart starts to beat a little bit faster and...wait, why is she behaving this way? It's not like she and Robin are a couple or anything.

"Where's Henry?" of course Roland wants to know these things; she smiles at him

"He's with nurse Isobel but, he should be here-"

"I'm right here; hey Robin, hey Roland. Wow, you clean up nice" the boy nods his head in approval at Robin's suit, which doesn't seem so wrinkled now that he's standing up and not lying in bed. Instantly, she realizes that not only is he good looking and an amazing father, but the man's got taste. The tuxedo is a custom tailored Armani tux. Mmmm, Regina loves a man who can wear Armani, and she has to take a deep breath to stop herself from biting her lip in appreciation as her eyes take in just how good Robin looks in that suit.

"So, shall we go then?" Regina simply nods, though her breath hitches in her throat when Robin holds his arm out to her. She's standing close, dangerously close; close enough that she can smell the aftershave and cologne he's wearing. Marc Jacobs, another plus for Robin. She doesn't miss the grins that come from Addison, and everyone else as the three of them, Henry included head for the elevator. The ride from the hospital to the airport, where there is a private jet waiting is relatively short, filled with unimportant small talk. Henry is of course excited to be in a private jet but for Regina, and apparently Robin, private jets are the norm.

"You look as if you've been on your fare share of private planes" Robin nods

"I have; you're not the only one who grew up a rich kid" Regina blinks in shock, leaning forward slightly, wanting to know more about Robin's past, which totally makes up for the hour and a half plane ride to New York.

She misses it, she honestly misses the big city with it's bright lights, busy streets. God she misses New York, but she could never come back here and live again. No, she can never be this close to her mother again; besides, her real family is in Los Angeles, Tink, Clarice, Joe...even Charlotte King and her band of misfit friends fit the mold of potential family; she ignores the fact that her heart is screaming that Robin is in LA also. They reach their destination (The Four Seasons grand ballroom and the first to spot her is the not so little Merida.

* * *

"Aunty Regina!" the girl is practically throwing her arms around Regina. She does definitely miss seeing her niece though and her father, that's the downside to not living in New York.

Zelena walks up a few moments later, a huge grin on her face (she includes Zelena in that very small list of 'reasons why moving away from New York suck') before giving Regina a long hug and a quick 'missed you', followed by a 'missed you more' from Regina.

"Oh, and who do we have here?" Zelena's eyes scan Robin up and down, slightly growing flirtatious, though the look Regina gives her tells Zelena to back away.

"Robin, this is my sister Zelena and my niece Merida, Z, Merida this is my..."

"Robin Locksley, at your service" he takes Zelena's hand into his own, kissing it before giving Merida a slight bowing of his head.

"It's a pleasure to meet you; Regina didn't mention she was seeing anybody"

"No, she certainly didn't" and there appears Cora Mills, the sheer look of perfection, though her eyes tell a slightly different story. Regina knows that she's upset that she failed to mention that she was bringing a date. Now Cora has to figure out how to spin the fact that Regina is suddenly in a relationship or, whatever this appeared to be.

"Mother, how are you?" Regina's voice is tight, tense and Robin can sense it and moves closer to her, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

"Oh, mother this is Robin Locksley; Robin, this is my mother, Cora Mills"

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Mills" Cora doesn't respond, simply gives Robin the once over and inwardly voices a 'this one will have to do'. She looks over at Henry, who has his gameboy out trying to beat a rather difficult level of temple run 2. Regina has to clear her throat and give Henry a glare for him to put the thing away and greet his grandmother.

"Hey, grandma..."

"Honestly Regina, has living in Los Angeles made you forget your manners? You should teach him that things like that...well exactly what was that thing he was playing?" this causes Regina to roll her eyes and lightly sigh

"It's a gameboy mother; a hand-held video game"

"Right well, he should know that those things are highly inappropriate at a function like this. Of course he would know that if-"

"Cora, let Regina be; she just got here" The other Henry in Regina's life gives her a smile as she has to fight the urge to run into her daddy's arms like she would when she was a little girl. She still makes her way over to her father, a bit over eagerly as she hugs him. This of course makes Cora roll her eyes in annoyance.

"Henry, aren't you going to say hello to your grandfather?" her arms are still wrapped around her father and Robin's sure that this is the lightest and the happiest he's ever heard her voice.

"Hey grandpa!" Even Henry seemed to be excited to see the other Henry Mills.

"Oh, daddy, I almost forgot, this is Robin Locksley; Robin this is my father, the other Henry in my life that I adore so much" her smile is huge as she gives her father a light squeeze; Robin can see the love in Henry Sr matches that which is reflected in Regina's eyes.

"Exactly who are you and why are you here?" Of course Cora has to go and ruin the happy moment by inquiring who Robin is.

"Robin's son Roland is my patient...the one I called Judge Gold about"

"Oh yes; speaking of Judge Gold, he's here by the way. I'm sure he'd love to see you" and with that, the light and the smile is gone from Regina, replaced by a more cold and rigid exterior

"Yes well, I'll make it my business to avoid him while I'm here" Robin smirks as he hears her mutter 'it's just for three hours', though Cora is long gone by the time she says this.

oOo

The gala is full of the usual rich, snobby people she hasn't seen in years. Though now that she's here, it's great to see some of those same people who picked on her for that hideous ponytail and those god-awful braces, practically bowing down and kissing her ass. Ah yes, there's no sweeter revenge than success. Robin looks good on her arm; he seems to be fitting in with these people quite well. She and Zelena are catching up with her mother approaches along with some of her snobby friends.

"Cora dear you must be so proud of Regina, becoming a doctor and all" Cora nods primly; Regina can tell that her mother is very uncomfortable with this conversation.

"Regina dear, where's your husband; your mother's been talking non stop about him for most of the night"

Husband? What the hell?

"He's uh-"

"Regina, I really hate to bother you but, Roland's on the phone; he insists on saying goodnight to the both of us...oh, hello; I don't believe we've met, Robin Locksley" and just like that, he comes in like her knight and shining armor and saves the day.

"I do hate to leave but, I have to take this call" Regina gives the women a smile while quickly walking away.

Roland actually was on the phone and did want to say goodnight; she promises to make him breakfast once they return-it's the only way she can get him to go to sleep for Tink, who's eager to know just how things are going. Of course Regina doesn't indulge and hangs up.

"So...my mother's been referring to you as my husband" Robin simply nods and smiles

"So I've heard; I've had several people refer to me as 'Regina's husband'. Your mother's quite a piece of work isn't she?"

"That's her; all about keeping up with appearances"

"You know, I really don't mind doing this"

"Doing what?"

"This little charade, pretending to be your husband"

"Robin..."

"No, no, no let me finish; you've done so much for Roland that...I know that if you hadn't stepped in well, my boy wouldn't be alive that's for sure. So pretending to be your husband to appease your mother is the least I can do" Regina can't help but smile at him for that comment

"Would you like to dance Robin?"

"Milady, I'd be honored to"

oOo

They fit well together, it's the only thing she can think of as the two of them are dancing together. They fit so well together; so well in fact that she allows herself to get comfortable in his embrace, her head resting on his shoulder. This is nice, and he smells really, really good. She notices the look Henry gives her from across the room; he's curious about what's going on with her and Robin. There's nothing to tell really; who the hell is she kidding? The chemistry between the two of them is obvious to everyone in the room. So why is she trying to deny it? It's quite simple really; there is no logical explanation as to why she has such...hard and serious feelings for a man she's only known for just over a week. No it's not love or anything like that but, there's just something about him that just...it's an indescribable feeling.

The close contact is enough to make her pull away from Robin and head in the opposite direction. However he's quick on her heels and catches up with her in no time. He lightly reaches out to grab her hand when she whirls around and bumps directly into him. They stand there motionless for a few moments. She can feel how fast his heart is beating underneath the palm that rests against his chest. His eyes are staring at her lips...God how she wants to kiss him right now. Luckily for her, Robin beats her to it and presses his lips to hers. It's exhilarating, kissing a man; especially if it's been over 15 years since you last kissed one. The kiss remains slow, but still full of passion. Her eyes pop open when she realizes that the moan she hears is coming from her own throat. Unfortunately, her mother picks the wrong moment to appear.

"Honestly Regina; I thought you said he was your patient's father" she rolls her eyes in disapproval before heading in the opposite direction. That woman has a knack for appearing at all of the wrong times.

"Regina, I'm-"

"You've got...lipstick, on your lips" she reaches up and wipes away the remnants of her now smudged lipstick off of his lips, which curve into a smirk.

She sighs heavily and walks away, heading off to find Henry. They've been here for too long and she's ready to go; this is why she never liked visiting in the first place. The gala is a success and is sure to run into the wee hours of the morning. However she doesn't need to stay that long, she's done her part by coming and giving people something to talk about for a while. She's headed to find her mother and hand her the check she's written when she bumps into none other than Judge Gold himself.

"Regina, fancy seeing you here; what with you moving to Los Angeles and all"

"I was summoned"

"Summoned?"

"Apparently, asking for you help means having to come home"

"Didn't want to see old mommy dearest did we?"

"Nope; I've done my good deed for the year, I came home and brought Henry"

"Ah yes, how is the young lad?"

"He's fine...is there something you really want Judge Gold?"

"You know, you had potential to be a great lawyer, what happened?"

"I fell in love and you? Well, you weren't a very good teacher"

"You know, she said that too; but look how she turned out" At this point Gold is referencing her mother who also studied under him and was rumored to be hot and heavy with him

"She's not even a lawyer"

"Ah but she knows the law, can manipulate it in ways I've never seen before. You know, you could've been like her too, but you fell in love. By the way, how's that working out for you? Right, it's not; what was it your mother tried to tell you? Oh yes, love, is weakness" She hates that line, absolutely positively hates that stupid, stupid line. With that, she storms off in the opposite direction, leaving Judge Gold with a smug look on his face.

oOo

She finds her father in one of the smaller conference rooms and hands him the check instead. Now, she really has to get the hell out of this place.

"You should call more, do that video chat thing...what's it called?"

"It's called Skype daddy" by now she's chuckling, that lightness to her voice, to her demeanor

"I know your mother can be a handful but-"

"Daddy...not now, please?"

"Alright, not this time; I'll miss you when you go" he walks around the table and hugs her close for a few moments, until Cora interrupts them.

"Honestly Henry, you're still coddling her, after all these years" Regina can't suppress the eye roll

"He's not coddling me mother; he was simply saying goodbye"

"Is that what you were doing with that Robin character? I hope you terminate his son as your patient if you plan on doing that with him"

"Enough mother" she holds her hand up in an attempt to shush her

"Honestly Regina, there's nothing there for you, he's so...he's so beneath you, us"

"Mother we're not dating or anything of the sort if that's what you're thinking"

"Oh, thank goodness" Cora places a hand to her chest mockingly as Regina rolls her eyes

"If you'll excuse me, I've got a flight to catch.

"Are you sure you can't stay a while longer dear?"

"No mother, I can't"

"This is about him, isn't it? About this Robin person. Is he the reason you can't stay?"

"Why do you think me not wanting to stay has something to do with Robin?" and now she's had it; her temper is showing

"I'm quite sure it does with the way you were slobbering all over him like a dog. Tell me you're not serious about him, please tell me you're not"

"And if I am?"

"I will be so ashamed"

"Why?! Why will you be ashamed?"

"Because you tend to make poor choices in men; let's not forget Daniel"

"Don't you dare bring up his name again like that! You don't know anything about him! You were too busy rejoicing over the fact that he died!"

"He was no good for you; and if you honestly think I'm gonna let you make the same mistake twice then...well maybe this one will do us both the favor and walk away while he still can. This statement pisses Regina off royally and she storms out of the conference room, ready to get back to New York even more.

"Are you alright Regina?" Robin's voice is soft when he asks some time after Regina arrives on the plane.

He can tell that something isn't right,and something tells him that whatever is bothering her has to do directly with her mother. She doesn't talk much and so when he moves to sit next to her, she's surprised when she turns around and finds Robin sitting right next to her, his lips lightly pressed against hers. Of course he quickly pulls back and begins apologizing, but instead, it's her lips that are crashing against his. They stay this way, holding one another close and kissing for the remainder of their flight, unsure what any of this means...

_Chapter 10 to follow..._

* * *

**I'm so sorry that it took me practically for ever to finish this chapter. I've had this idea in my head for weeks now but I'm just now finishing it up. I pretty much fell asleep while writing this chapter. It's unbeat'd, because I don't have one right now so if you're a good writer, feel free to PM me if you're interested. My eyes can barely stay open right now so, here you guys are, enojoy!**

**Xx**


	10. Chapter 10

She's not sure when it happened but, she and Robin are definitely...something. It's quite obvious to everyone at the hospital; even Henry and Roland notice it. In fact, Henry gets bold enough to ask her about it one night over dinner.

"Are you dating Robin mom?" and with that, she practically chokes on her pasta. She quickly recovers, taking a sip of her red wine to cover the shock of the question Henry's just asked

"Uh, I...honestly? I don't know what we are Henry I mean, I do like him" there's a small smile that appears on her face when she says this

"I can tell; I knew you liked him when I caught you guys kissing in the hallway at the gala, and on the plane" Now she has even more of a reason to blush; Henry wasn't supposed to see that, not at all.

"I...I like him, Henry; he's kind, he's funny, he's an amazing father to Roland, he makes me smile..."

"Oh, you really really like him" by now Henry is grinning at her

"Stop that, stop your grinning Henry"

"So is he your boyfriend now?"

"Henry! He is not my boyfriend, he's my...well, I don't know what he is"

"Does Aunt Tink know?"

"No, because there's nothing to tell; and if there were, you shouldn't say anything. The last thing I need is Tinkerbell breathing down my neck saying I told you so"

Sadly the next day, Tink tells her

"I told you so! I so knew you and Robin were dating!" the blonde is practically hanging from Regina's arm as they make their way down the hall to Roland's room

"Robin and I are not dating Tink"

"Oh come on! You two are always sharing those longing looks...is he good in bed?"

"Tink!"

"C'mon, I'm dying to know!"

"We haven't slept together"

"You're telling me-"

"I'm not telling you anything, because there's nothing to tell" by now they've reached Roland's room where they find Robin with a rather somber look on his face while Marian's mother Tremaine stands there with a satisfied smirk

"What's going on?"

"Regina...it appears well, I've been called back into duty"

oOo

"What?"

"I got my notice early this morning, I'll be leaving in a couple of days"

"What about-"

"Roland? Well, with me having custody-"

"Hold on a minute; Robin, were you and Marian US citizens when Roland was born?"

"We had temporary visas yes"

"So that means technically-"

"Roland is a US citizen" Regina smiles; she's going somewhere with this

"Yes and exactly what does this mean?"

"It means that you can't take Roland back to London; he's far too sick to be transported and, I have medical power of attorney, which means he's not leaving Los Angeles" Tremaine is furious, absolutely furious at this fact, which makes Regina curious about this woman's anger.

"Mrs. O'Malley, is there a reason why you're so adamant about Roland leaving the US?" and then it hits her; this place, Los Angeles, this hospital, is the same place where Marian died. She probably feels that had Marian not come to the US, then...

"Mrs. O'Malley I am so sorry" the older woman frowns at Regina

"Why are you sorry?"

"In the midst of everything, no one's really looked at things from your perspective. You're probably thinking that if Marian hadn't come here then-"

"Don't Miss Mills, just don't" and with that, she tearfully storms out of Roland's hospital room

"Marian was her only child, her only daughter" Regina looks over at Robin when he speaks, can see the pain reflected in his eyes as he talks about Marian.

"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to him; I promise to keep him safe, until you come back"

"It would be nice if you could keep her informed; she really does love the boy. She just has a hard time showing it"

"I will, I'll keep her informed; in fact, I could pull a few strings if she wants to be here with him during-"

"No, she won't want to stick around for that; she tried that with Marian and-"

"It didn't end well?"

"No; I think she regrets not being here when Marian went; no one was here when she died"

* * *

"Robin, I'm so sorry-"

"Just, keep him safe, Regina; he's all I have" by now they're both looking over at young Roland, who's completely worn out from his chemo treatment.

"When do you leave?"

"A couple of days...say why don't you and I do something, outside of the hospital?" they're sitting together in Roland's room, or rather she's sitting on his lap, her head resting on his shoulder while he soothingly runs his hands through her hair. She lost a patient earlier today and, she needed the comfort.

"You mean like an actual date?"

"You could call it that; I mean since everyone already assumes we're a couple" now it's her turn to smirk

"Ya know, Henry asked me, about us the other day"

"Did he now?"

"He did; he asked me if you were my boyfriend"

"Oh, and what did you tell the lad?"

"I told him I didn't know, because I don't"

"I quite fancy you Regina; I know we haven't really known each other very long but-"

"I feel the same way too" and they both share a laugh

"Does that make us crazy, the fact that we're insanely attracted to one another-"

"I think it's more than just attraction Robin; there's just something about that just..."

"You can't describe it?"

"No, I can't"

"Neither can I" he uses the hand that's in her hair to pull her closer to him for a passionate kiss which she lets linger for a few moments before pulling away.

"That still doesn't give me a solid answer to tell my 12 year old"

"And what would you define us as Milady?"

"I don't know; I haven't had a boyfriend since..."

"Since your Daniel?"

"He's, I've only ever been with him"

"No one else?"

"He was my first everything; first love, first kiss, first..."

"Ah, young love; how old were you when you got together?"

"We were barely 16" Robin nods, a smile on his face

"What?"

"I'd have loved to have seen a young Regina"

"Oh no; trust me...I looked horrible! I had a terrible ponytail, I wore braces and had terrible acne"

"But you turned out to be quite stunning in the end. I do believe Gus Reeves from the gala told me he regretted being mean to you in high school"

"Oh god you talked to Gus at the gala?!" Regina buries her head into his shoulder in total mortification as Robin chuckles, gently rubbing her back

"I did; I talked to quite a few people...there were these two sisters-"

"Drusilla and Anastasia?"

"Yes that's it! They're quite unattractive women"

"Which is funny because they were both very popular in high school" Robin shudders at the thought of those two being anywhere remotely attractive

"...So what do you say to that date?"

"First we have to figure out what you are so that I can clarify it to Henry"

"Ah yes well...would you mind terribly if I was your boyfriend?" Regina ponders this for a moment, until Robin counters with

"I could kiss you in public and we wouldn't have to worry about whether someone would catch us or not" the thought of this makes her smile and pull him in for yet another kiss

"I guess I can live with you being my boyfriend, don't know how Henry's gonna take it but-"

"I'll have you know that I've earned points with Henry. I'm from London, I know all about The Beatles and...I've met the queen of England" Regina can't help but chuckle and pull him in for yet another lingering kiss.

Their date has to wait, because Roland begins to suffer some serious side effects from the chemo treatment.

"Are you sure this is normal Regina?" she got the call about Roland's nose bleeding profusely and passed off her case to another well trained oncologist. Roland is her top priority right now.

"It's perfectly fine; we're gonna watch him to see if there's any change if there is well, he may have to have a slight procedure done"

"What kind of procedure?" She of course explains it to Roland first so that he knows what's going on, and then to Robin in terms that he can understand better than Roland.

"But the procedure will only be necessary if his nose doesn't stop bleeding. It should though; you have to trust me Robin"

"I do, I trust you Regina"

oOo

The day he leaves comes sooner than either of them expected. With them both having hectic schedules, the only time they have for one another is the hour they spend in Regina's office, simply being. It doesn't involve sex or anything of the sort-nothing past kisses, they don't need that right now, they aren't ready for anything past that at this stage in their, dare she say it, relationship.

"What's your favorite color?" they're lying on her couch, her head against his chest, fingers intertwined as they get to know one another-something that probably would've already happened if the circumstances were different.

"It's green, what's yours?"

"I love the color Red"

"That much is obvious, with the apples on your desk and all. How did you-"

"My father and I, he loves gardening; my mother hates it. Anywho, he decided that he should plant something and, we planted an apple tree. It still sits on our family property; my dad sends me hand picked apples from it each year"

"Wow, that's quite impressive"

"It is; I can pretty much make anything with apples"

"Sounds interesting; so you bake then?"

"Bake? I'm like a professional chef; it would be a crime that I didn't know how to cook, with me being half Puerto Rican and Sicilian" Robin looks up at her in amazement when she says this

"So which one is which? Who's Puerto Rican and who's Sicilian?"

"My mother's Puerto Rican, my father's Sicilian"

"But your mother-"

"That's what years of plastic surgery do to you...she didn't look like that when I was growing up trust me"

"What was that like, growing up for you? I've only heard that you had a, how did you put it? Oh yes, a terrible pony tail, wore braces and had horrible acne"

"I did; all of the aforementioned things are true, except when I was little, I was chubby"

"No! Regina Mills chubby?"

"I was! Well, I wasn't very chubby but...my mother was a stickler about being the perfect size...which is why she sent me to fat camp once. I wasn't even that fat! The camp counselors thought it was a joke, me being there"

"It wasn't?"

"Nope, she was serious...and that's when my father decided that I needed a hobby to get away from my mother. He'd heard that there was a family that had a ranch and were offering horse riding lessons and, he signed me up"

"And that's how you met Daniel?"

"Yep...so, tell me about you; what was it like growing up in London?"

"Much like growing up was like for you, pure hell. Except I was a little terror to my parents, my younger brother and I"

"I didn't know you had a younger brother"

"I do; his name's Will; he moved here to the states a while back. It's part of the reason Marian and I ended up here. He got into some trouble back home and decided to come here."

"Did you ever find him?"

"Sadly no; I haven't seen him since he was 17, that was 10 years ago"

"Do you think you'll ever find him?"

"I hope so, one day maybe; I'd like to be able to tell my mother what happened to her son. We've been talking about random things for the longest now"

"I know; I wish we could stay like this forever"

"So do I but..."

"I know, you have to leave; it hate that"

"So do I; I won't be able to do this whenever I want"

"I like it, when you hold me like this; makes me feel safe"

"I'm glad that I do that for you Regina, because I care about you quite a lot"

"I...I care about you too, Robin. I know this is gonna sound crazy but, I think...I'm pretty sure I'm falling for you"

"And I you milady" with that, he presses his lips to hers and they decide to stop talking for a while and just...be.

_Chapter 11 to follow..._

* * *

**The chapters are starting to move pretty quickly at this point. It's been a couple of weeks since they went to the gala in New York and this chapter. I almost had Regina say she was 'falling in love' with Robin but, I figured she's not ready for that yet, and neither is she. They still have to explore the pain of their past loves and put those chapters of their lives to bed before they can progress any further in their relationship. This story's slowly starting to wind down you guys, I've got at least a few more chapters to go before we reach the end. I'm so happy you guys are enjoying this story-over 100 follows? Wow! I'd love to see more reviews though, that would really make me happy. Either way, I am humbled by the response this story has received.**

**Have a great Day/Afternoon/Evening/Night-depending on which part of the world you live in!**

**Xx**


	11. Chapter 11

She can't stop thinking about him; she literally, cannot stop thinking about Robin. He's only been gone a week and already she's like some love sick teenager. Of course there's the ever waging war that's going on in her head: this is wrong, her feeling this way about Robin. He's her patient's father for crying out loud! This totally goes against her code of ethics. She has that battle every single day. A part of her (her mind) says that she should end things, whatever this was, with Robin. Another part of her however (her heart), wins every time. Every. Single. Goddamn. Time. No matter how she tries to visualize it in her head it always ends the same-she belongs with Robin, plain and simple, the end.

Not so simple.

There's always that looming threat of someone in human resources finding out, or some bitchy nurse that she's pissed off telling on her. This is so going to end badly is a thought that goes through her head every single day. She hates the internal war going on within herself but, this is what she signed up for the minute she allowed Robin to kiss her and she didn't stop him-it's not like she could've anyways; plus, she didn't exactly say no.

One week turns into two, and then two weeks turns into a month and still no word from Robin. She's starting to get worried now, he'd promised to call, check in with her at some point, to keep up with Roland's progress. He's doing better now, not where she'd like him to be but, he's doing better than most would expect him to be doing. He had to get a haircut yesterday because his hair started falling out. His skin's got that yellowy tint to it because of all of the drugs being shoved into his system. It's all for his best interests though. Treatments leave him tired, barely wanting to eat; they had to put in IV into his arm the other day because his body wasn't retaining enough fluids.

He's cranky and irritable and he misses his father terribly. Regina is a mess, with trying to look after Roland both as his doctor and his father's girlfriend. She's trying to deal with Henry, whom she doesn't get to see much of because of how much time she's spending with Roland both personally and professionally. Charlotte and Addison have (finally) managed to talk her into signing on with their practice. Great, just what she needs, to be working at some fancy cooperative medicine clinic while also working in a hospital. Her life is a mess; she misses Robin, she's worried about Roland, feeling guilty about not spending as much time as she can with Henry. Why was this all happening to her right now?! God, couldn't she just catch one tiny little break!?

oOo

"Regina, did you hear a word of what I just said?" Mary Margret is talking to her over a stale cup of coffee; it's 2 am and she's just rounded on Roland (again) because this week the kid seemed to be adamant on trying to die while his father is away.

"Huh, what? I'm sorry I just..."

"You look tired" the brunette reaches a hand across the table and places it on top of Regina's to show her support.

It's nice, having Mary Margret around; it's nice to have some form of family around-even though she and Mary Margret aren't as close. Mary Margret's grandfather and Regina's grandfather Xavier are somehow related, making them third, fourth cousins? She isn't sure. She just knows that Mary Margret is her cousin, though they didn't grow up together because Mary Margret's mother Eva, disapproved of Regina's father marrying Regina's mother.

Apparently, Regina's mother almost married Mary Margret's father, but that plan was squashed when Eva told Leopold that Cora was pregnant with Zelena. And thus, the huge feud between Regina and Mary Margret's mothers. The two didn't cross paths until Mary Margret was barely 13 and Regina was almost 18. Who would've known that the two of them both took horse riding lessons from Daniel's family? After meeting, Mary Margret couldn't stop talking about Regina, saying how much she wanted to be like her. And she did, Mary Margret finished high school, went to college and became a pediatric surgeon.

"Are you alright Regina?"

"It's been a long week Mary Margret, that's all"

"Have you heard from Robin lately?"

"No, and I think that's why Roland has been insistent on trying to die this week"

"Maybe he misses his father"

"Of course he does, but what can I do about that? He promised he'd call and he hasn't"

"Sounds like Roland's not the only one who misses Robin"

"I don't miss him, I shouldn't miss him...oh God what the hell am I doing?" Regina groans, rests her head against the table she's sitting at

"Do you wanna talk about what's been going on between you and Robin?"

"I like him...I really, really like him; Henry insisted that we put a label on, whatever we are and, I stupidly agreed to be his girlfriend. I'm his girlfriend Mary Margret! I haven't been anyone's girlfriend since I was 16!"

"I know how long it's been" Mary Margret simply listens, doesn't judge, because she knows that's what Regina needs right now, a sounding board

"Remember how David was a patient here after his accident and you two ended up getting together?"

"Yeah, what about it?"

"How did you deal with the ethics behind it?"

"Well technically, David and I didn't start dating until after he left the hospital"

"So you're saying that Robin and I should hold off until Roland leaves the hospital?"

"I'm not telling you anything Regina; that's a decision you have to make all on your own"

"Right now I kinda wish you'd make the decision for me"

"I'll say this much; do you honest think you're able to give your other patients your full attention now that you're dating Robin?"

"Roland's pretty much been my only case Mary Margret" and it's true; Regina doesn't operate like other doctors, she only takes on the most severe cases. She deals with the cases that most would write off. It means that she sees less patients, but when you're as good as Regina, it means that you can pretty much do what you want when it comes down to patients.

"Okay so, with the other cases that you have had since you started treating Roland, do you think you gave them a fair chance?"

"Of course I did; I was treating some of them before Robin and I started...whatever this is that we're doing"

"Okay, name some of the patients you've had recently" and she does; Regina is able to rattle off some of the patients she's had since she's started treating Roland, and even a few after she and Robin started 'dating'. Mary Margret simply nods, it appears that whatever she and Robin have going on hasn't affected her work ethics.

"Then if you're still able to care for other patients, I don't see what harm you doing, whatever it is that you're doing with Robin is has on your career" Regina sighs

"What were you expecting me to say Regina?"

"I was looking for you to give me a reason why I shouldn't do this"

"Why?"

"Because I can only think of the reasons I should"

"Is that a bad thing?"

"No...it's just...it's all so soon, ya know? I just-"

"You're scared of this, of him, of what it all means, aren't you?"and she nods, confessing

"I am terrified of what it means. This shouldn't be happening Mary Margret! I've known the man all of 3 months and already I..."

"You what, Regina...oh my God, do you love him?"

"What?! No, I don't...I mean...I..."

"Regina" And the way Mary Margret says her name she knows

She's falling in love with Robin.

And it is by far the most scariest thing in the world...

_Chapter 12 to follow..._

* * *

**The scenes in this chapter are quite short, wouldn't you agree? This chapter took a bit longer because I wasn't exactly sure where I wanted to go with it. I personally liked the Snow Queen moments, because I've learned to appreciate Regina and Snow's relationship-especially after this season and the scene after they tried summoning Cora...that scene was just...Lana and Ginny had amazing chemistry in that scene. Also, I decided to add in Regina having a debate about her dating Robin for ethical reasons, because I had a reviewer point out that Regina should have some sort of internal struggle with it instead of just easily falling into his arms. I may have shown this a tiny bit in a previous chapter but, I don't think I expounded on it as much. So to my reviewer who brought out that very good point, I hope this helps! Also, I apologize for the slow update-those of you who are in college understand the delay in between chapters, especially when you're taking a certain amount of hours**


	12. Chapter 12

"Regina, hey" Emma pops into her office one afternoon; they don't exactly have a relationship, aside from the fact that they share a son. Emma never said she didn't want to know her son, and Regina didn't request a closed adoption. So this is where things get a little tricky.

"Emma, hey, how are you?"

"I'm good; listen, there's someone I want you to meet"

"Okay..." and then, there's a scruffy looking young man standing behind Emma

"Regina Mills, I would like you to meet-"

"_Neal Cassidy_?"

"Didn't think you'd recognize me; _Dr. Regina Mills_ huh? Last time I checked, you were studying to be a criminal defense lawyer"

"Wait, _you two know each other_?" Emma of course is obviously confused as to how Regina Mills, world class surgeon, would ever know someone of the likes of Neal Cassidy.

"Oh, right; Neal's father is Judge Gold; the judge I got to sign off on Roland's treatment. Wait, how do you know Neal?"

"He's Henry's father" Emma says with a slight frown

And that's when all hell breaks loose.

"Wait...I'm sorry did I hear you correctly? He's, _you're Henry's father_?!"

"Yeah, why's that..._wait, wait, wait_, Emma, _**Regina** adopted our son_!?"

"_Am I missing something here_? Did you two like, have a one night stand or-"

"_No!_" They both exclaim, shuddering at the thought of sleeping with one another

"So, _exactly how **do** you two know each other_?"

"Like I said, Neal's father is...wait, wait, wait. If you're Henry's father, then that means...oh my God, I'm related to Mr. Gold!"

"You say that like it's a bad thing"

"This coming from the guy who left home at 14 to find his mother"

"True, true..."

"You guys!" Emma is shouting to get their attention

"Now that you two have played catch up, someone wanna explain to me _how the hell you two know each other_ ?"

"Neal's family and my family have..._history_. Though I haven't seen Neal since he was 14 and ran away to find his mother. Say, did you ever find her?" Neal shakes his head sadly

"Dead"

"Oh, Neal I'm so sorry"

"Yeah, me too...it's a small world though, isn't it G? Who would've thought it huh? You adopting my kid"

"Yes, about that...Emma there was an actual point of you coming into my office"

"Well the point was to introduce you to Henry's father but, I see you two already know one another"

"Wait, _tell me you're not jealous of me and Regina_?" Neal is laughing now, Regina simply chuckles

"Miss Swan, I can reassure you that nothing has _nor will it **ever**_ occur between Neal and myself" Emma seems to be a bit reassured by this so she lets it go.

"Right, well um...I was wondering since, Henry and I have already met if-"

"I want to talk to him about it first, is that okay? I want to make sure that he doesn't feel overwhelmed by everything" Emma simply nods, it's only fair; Henry's only agreed to meet with her less than a week ago. She understands Regina's need to protect him, admires it even.

"Okay, that sounds fine; you'll let me know what he says?"

"Of course I will; pretty sure that since Neal's his father, you and I will be seeing a lot more of one another" Emma simply nods, smiles slightly before leading Neal out of Regina's office, leaving Regina to think about the complicated and fucked up family her son had come from.

London:

He hasn't had a moment's peace since he returned back home for duty. There was a crisis that needed to be attended to, and with Robin being of high ranks, he was needed for the job. They've only just contained the problem (barely). He's been gone a little over a month, hasn't talked to Regina, hasn't gotten word about Roland and how he's doing in a month. He really misses his little man, and he really misses Regina. He can't stop thinking of them, either of them and Henry.

"Why such a gloomy look mate?" Killian Jones asks; he's a Sergeant in London's army; Robin is a Lieutenant.

"It's not a gloomy look, I'm just thinking, that's all"

"Aye, about your boy?"

"Yeah"

"How is the lad?"

"Slowly getting better last time I checked" Robin is frowning, his face scrunched deep in thought.

"This isn't about the lass you told me about before is it? Roland's doctor"

"It is"

"Aye mate, sounds like you've got it bad for her"

"I don't know Killian...I just...ever since I met Regina things have been just...she's different, different than I've ever seen before"

"Different in a good way, or in a bad way?"

"In a very good way; the way she is with my her, with her own son..."

"She's got a boy too?"

"Yeah, Henry; he's 12"

"And she's unmarried?"

"Her fiance died a long time ago; she adopted Henry"

"So she's been alone because..."

"He was the love of her life Killian, just like Marian was mine"

"Aye mate, sounds like you two were made for each other"

"I don't know about that Killian but-"

"Do you miss her?"

"What"

"I said, do you miss her?"

"I do"

"Then go to her mate, go be with her, go be with your son. That's where you need to be anyways"

"You act as though it's so simple, that I can just...tell the military that I'm leaving" Killian simply shakes his head, smiling slightly at Robin

"Robin, you do know that you can just, leave right; they have a formal name for it, it's called an honorable discharge. Pretty sure they'd understand; you've got a sick boy back in the states that needs you. Now go on, and make sure that when you get back there, you give this Regina woman a nice long kiss, among other things" Robin simply laughs, gives Killian a pat on the back, ignoring the way his eyebrows wiggle upward before making his way towards the Corporal's office.

"Locksley, good to see you" Both the general and the corporal are sitting together when Robin goes to talk to them. It's of course understandable, given with how sick little Roland is. There's paperwork that's going to take a few more days but, he's officially served his last day in the military of Great Britain.

oOo

Her voice is groggy when the phone rings at 3 am. She blindly reaches for the phone, snuggling deeper into her covers as she lets out a lazy hello.

"_I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you; I just assumed that you were working a late shift tonight_" Almost immediately, her eyes pop open and she's flinging the covers back at the sound of his voice.

"**_Robin..._**"

"_How are you?_"

"What's going on? I haven't heard from you in over a month and-"

"_I know; things have been crazy here. We ended up going straight into crisis mode when I got here. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to call_"

"No, no it's, fine; I just...I've missed you, we've missed you I should say" She can't hide the smile that's slowly forming on her lips

"_Ah yes, how is my little man, and Henry?_"

"Henry's great...he's been spending time with Emma lately..."

"_And Roland?_"

"He's...he hasn't been good Robin; I think he misses you, a lot"

"_Is it bad Regina? Is he going to die?_"

"No! No, no, no; he's fine, he's fine he's just...he really, misses you"

"_I miss him too; I miss you and Henry as well_..._but I've got some good news_"

"Oh?"

"_Mmhm; I've talked to my commanding officers and, well...the paperwork has been started on my honorable discharge_"

"You're leaving the army?!"

"_Are you not happy about this?_"

"Robin I...this is all happening so fast, you and me. I just, I don't know what to think anymore" Robin is silent on the other end of the phone for a few moments because he understands how she feels. This _is_ moving _way too fast_ for both of them.

"_I can't say that I don't blame you, for how you feel. This is all so sudden; but whatever this is between you and I, I want us to see where it goes. Plus, I feel so horrible for leaving my boy all alone for months at a time while I'm overseas fighting. It's high time Roland and I settled down, preferably stateside_"

"But what about-"

"_I did some research and it turns out, since Roland was born in the United States, Tremaine's court order giving her custody of Roland is really invalid. Marian and I had green cards at the time so, technically, Roland's mine._" Regina can hear how happy he is by the tone of his voice, and she's happy for him. He's got custody of his son again and he's moving stateside. Who knows, maybe they'll be able to give things a real chance now?

_Chapter 13 to follow..._

* * *

**Again, I apologize for the long wait and the potentially poor content/writing in this chapter. I promise to sit down and think out the next chapter and make it better than this one!**

**Xx**


	13. Chapter 13

"Is the last of it mate?" Killian asked Robin as he helped him pack his things at his London flat.

"That's the last of it" Robin said with a smile as he looked around; this place had been his home once, his and Roland's. Now, they were about to start a new life in America with Regina; it's funny how life can play out sometimes.

"And you're sure about this, moving to the states to be with some lass?" Killian asked as Robin rolled his eyes

"She's not some lass Kill, she's an amazing woman"

"She's also Roland's doctor; doesn't that blur some sort of, doctor patient code of ethics or something?"

"Technically no, I don't think so; she isn't treating me, she's treating my son so, I don't think it is"

"I only hope she's worth it" Killian said

"I believe she is"

"How can ya be so sure? You've only known the woman a few weeks"

"And in those few weeks, I've learned so much about her"

"Really? How much?"

"She comes from money, lots of it, but she doesn't let it define her. Her mother's a pretentious woman whom, I'm not sure why her father is still with. She has a sister, and a niece, she went to Hopkins for med school, Harvard for her undergrad, she's Peurto Rican and Sicilian, she-"

"That sounds like a fiery temper mate" Killian said as Robin grinned

"Oh, have you two-"

"Nope, we've done nothing past kiss" Robin said as Killian's eyes went wide

"You're bloody joking!"

"Nope"

"Robin Locksley, I'd say this is a first for you. You really are serious about this one, aren't ya lad?"

"I am Killian; there's something about her that I just can't...it's indescribable"

"She sounds like quite the catch" Killian nodded

"That she is"

"Say, why don't I accompany ya to the states?"

"Why, so that you can try and steal her away from me?"

"I would never...but I'm actually hoping she has some hot single friends"

"...Come to think of it, she does have a best friend Tink who's quite single, but I'm warning you Killian, don't do anything shoddy that will embarrass me and cause me to kick your ass"

"I'd never do that mate, you know this" Killian said with a grin, slapping an arm around Robin's shoulder

"And somehow, you'll still manage to embarrass me" Robin said with a groan

oOo

"Robin dearie, are you sure that this is what you really want?" his mother Elinor asked as they stood in the terminal of the airport waiting for his flight to board

"Me moving to America is what's best for Roland" Robin said softly

"And it wouldn't have anything to do with a certain, Doctor Regina Mills now, would it?" his father Fergus asked with a smirk as Robin groaned

"Regina Mills? Isn't that-"

"Apparently our boy quite fancies her" Fergus said as Elinor smiled slightly

"Robin, is this Regina woman the reason you're-"

"It's not what you think; I do care for her a great deal but...she's not the only reason I'm moving to Los Angeles. She's the best oncologist there is and, this is about making sure that Roland gets better. Besides, I can't properly look after my boy if I'm on the other side of the world now can I?" Robin asked

"No, but you could look after him if you two were back in London" his mother tried persuading with a smile

"Mom...London holds nothing here for me anymore; that part of my life died a long time ago" Robin said, quickly amending that statement to include the fact that his parents were the only reason he'd ever come back and visit, but never to live

"You've never really been a stickler for the rules my boy" Fergus said with a smile and a light pat on the back as Robin chuckled

"No pop, I never have been" Robin said as final boarding was called

"Well, this is it; I'll call you when I land, and I'll be sure to send Killian back in a week or so" Robin said as he hugged both of his parents before making his way towards the boarding gate.

"Do you think it'll work, Robin and this Regina woman?" Elinor asked her husband

"I seem to remember him chasing after another young girl to America, and that worked out just fine" he said, lacing their fingers together

"Did it really Fergus? Marian died-"

"But we gained a beautiful grandson in the process; think of it like this, now, we have a reason to travel" Fergus said with a laugh as they stood in the terminal, watching as Robin's plane took off, taking him back to America where his son and a very special lady in his life were waiting for him.

oOo

The plane ride was, to say the least, terrible; Killian complained about the turbulence, the lack of service from the stewardesses...basically, everything about the flight. The only highlight of the ride was that he got to text Regina a great deal.

_Regina:How's the flight?_

_Robin: Bloody terrible!_

_Regina: Awww, poor thing_

_Robin: Killian is making this trip even more torturous...he's complaining about everything. Talk to me about something happier_

_Regina: There's nothing happy to tell really, it's raining here in Los Angeles_

_Robin: Bloody perfect! I leave one rainy city for another! I thought they said it didn't rain in Los Angeles?_

_Regina: Whoever told you that, is a big fat liar_

_Robin: Lol. How's my boy doing today?_

_Regina: Excited that you're coming back_

_Robin: Does he know that it's for good?_

_Regina: Nope, I decided that that should be your surprise_

_Robin: I can't wait to see him...how was it today?_

_Regina: Chemo was...a little bit better. Addison referred me to a friend of hers, Dr. Arizona Robbins, she's an amazing pediatric surgeon_

_Robin: Is this about the procedure that Roland's going to need?_

_Regina: It is; Dr. Robbins and I talked it over, it's minimally invasive and shouldn't take long_

_Robin: And this is just a side effect from the chemo treatment, right?_

_Regina: Yes. He'll be fine Robin, I promise_

_Robin: I know, and you always manage to keep your promises...speaking of promises, I do believe we agreed upon a date before I was unfortunately called back into duty_

_Regina: Hmm, I do believe there was mention of a 'date' before you left_

_Robin: Well, when I get back and get all settled in, I'm going to take you on that date, as promised_

_Regina: Hmmm...I like the sound of that. Wait, is this a date date or just a way to get into my pants?_

_Robin: It's definitely a date milady, though I wouldn't mind the other part _

_Regina: Thank you for that really_

_Robin: Thank you for what?_

_Regina: I'm now blushing, turning a bright shade of Red thank you very much_

_Robin: Hey, you brought it up so..._

_Regina: Touche Mr. Locksley__, touche_

_Robin: I can't wait until I'm in Los Angeles, I've missed seeing you_

_Regina: I can't wait either, I've missed seeing you too_

It was at that exact moment that Killian decided to be a nosy pest and lean over and steal a glance at Robin's text messages to Regina.

"So, you plan on playing doctor with the lass once you get there eh?" Killian smirked as Robin sent him a murderous glare

"She is a lady, so no, I have no intentions of, 'playing doctor' as you so eloquently put it"

"Aye mate, but her response says otherwise" Killian pointed out with a laugh, loving that he'd managed to get Robin so riled up.

"Sometimes, I really hate you, you know that?"

"How could ya hate me? Everybody loves Killian!" the man laughed as Robin joined in; it was true, it was hard to hate Killian Jones, even when he was being the world's biggest jackass.

oOo

"Is daddy coming home today Regina?" Roland asked as she made her way into his room early that morning

"Yes, he is; he plane should be landing very soon" Regina said as she checked Roland's vitals

"Regina?"

"Hmmm?"

"Do you like my daddy?" Roland asked, causing Regina to turn and look at him strangely

"What do you mean Roland?"

"I mean, like Dr. Cooper likes Dr. King, and how Dr. Addie-son likes Dr. Jake, do you like my daddy like that?" Roland asked curiously as Regina blushed, trying to figure out how to answer his question. So the little boy wasn't as oblivious as she thought

"Well Roland, I-"

"Yes son, Regina likes me, in fact she likes me very much" Robin's said, causing both doctor and patient to turn around

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy! You're here! You came back!" Roland squealed with happiness as Robin rushed towards him, scooping the boy up into a huge hug, a few tears slipping from his cheeks as he held his son close, inhaling the young boy's scent for what seemed like an eternity.

"Daddy's so sorry he had to leave you like that little man but guess what?" Robin said after a few moments

"What daddy?"

"Daddy's not ever leaving you again, do you want to know why?"

"Why?"

"Because daddy's moving to the United States" Robin said with a grin, loving the way his son's eyes lit up

"You are?!"

"That's right my boy, you and I are gonna live here in Los Angeles!" Robin said, laughing joyously as the squeals that came from his son's throat as the young boy wrapped his arms around his father's neck.

"I love you daddy" Roland whispered

"I love you too son, more than anything in the world"

"More than Regina?" Roland asked as Robin looked up to see the woman in question staring at them, a watery smile on her face.

"I love you, and I love Regina and Henry also; is that okay Roland?" Robin asked

"So, that means you like her? Like Dr. Cooper likes Dr. Char and how Dr. Addie-son likes Dr. Jake?" Roland asked as Robin chuckled

"Yes son, like Cooper loves Charlotte and how Addison loves Jake. I feel the same way about Regina" Robin said, not failing to notice the way Regina's eyes widened in shock at his confession.

"Uh oh Roland, I think I might have scared Regina by saying I love her" Robin whispered to his son

"But why's she scared?" Roland whispered back

"Because a long time ago, she lost a man she loved very much and she's been sad ever since. Well, at least until she had Henry" Robin explained

"Oh...but what happened to him daddy, what happened to the man?"

"He died, like your mother did"

"So he's with the angels?"

"That's right my boy, he's with the angels, and sometimes, thinking about him makes Regina sad, because she loved him very much"

"But daddy, Regina said she loves you"

"And she does, but she's scared that if she loves me, she'll forget about her first love" Robin explained

"Oh, like how I feel about mama"

"That's right" Robin nodded as Roland turned to face Regina

"Don't be sad Regina, daddy says when somebody dies, they never, ever leave you, they're right here, in your heart" Roland said, placing his tiny little hand on his chest before he continued

"And daddy says that it's okay to love for me to love other people besides mama, because mama will understand. Daddy, do you think the man Regina loved would understand?"

"I'm sure he would my boy; in fact, I'm sure he'd want Regina to be happy"

"Do you think we make Regina happy daddy?"

"I'm quite sure of it my boy; in fact I think you, me and Henry make Regina very happy" Robin said as Roland smiled at him, reaching out to squeeze Regina's hand as he looked into her eyes

"I love you Regina" Roland said with a lopsided grin as she held back a sob

"I love you too, Roland" She said leaning down and holding the little boy close for a few moments, running her fingers through his much shorter curly hair

"You and Henry make me very happy Roland, I want you to know that, okay?" Regina sniffled, a smile appearing on her face and Roland reached up to wipe away her tears

"But what about daddy?" Roland asked as Regina glanced back at Robin who was still smiling at her as she leaned forward, as if to tell Roland a secret

"I happen to love your daddy very much Roland" she said in a whisper that was loud enough for Robin to hear as Roland squealed with delight

"Really!?" He asked as Regina nodded, a grin appearing on her face at the sight of seeing him so happy.

"Does that mean you and daddy are gonna get married?!" Roland asked hopefully as both adult's eyes widened

"I don't know what it means Roland, but I know that I care about you and your daddy very much. And maybe, if things work out for us then, someday we'll get married, but right now, what's important is you getting better" Regina said reaching out to lightly tap his nose

"And you getting better means..." she began as Roland sighed heavily with a pout

"Me taking my medicine" he said with an eye roll

"That's right; I know how much you don't like the treatment Roland but, take a look at this" she said reaching for her iPad, which had some pretty cool looking images on it

"Wow! What's that Regina?"

"That, is the inside of your body" she explained as Roland looked at her in wonder

"Those are my insides!?"

"Yep, I took these pictures of your insides yesterday when Dr. Pete took you for the scan in the big machine. These pictures tell me whether or not the medicine is helping you get better or not"

"And is it?"

"It is" Regina nodded with a smile as she glanced over at Robin

"He's responding to the treatment better than I expected" she said to Robin before explaining it to Roland

"That means, the medicine is working faster than I thought it would"

"Is that a good thing Regina?"

"Yes, it's a very good thing Roland"

"Does that mean I'll be better soon?"

"Yes, you'll better sooner than I expected" Regina said with a smile, just as one of the nurses entered, ready to take Roland off to his chemo treatment

"Come on Roland, Alexandra's waiting" Nurse Maria said with a smile as Regina glanced at him

"Who's Maria Roland?"

"She's one of Dr. Ramirez patients; she and Roland have become fast friends" Maria said

"Ah, so you've got yourself a lady friend eh my boy?" Robin said with a grin as Roland blushed, causing Regina to chuckle

"I'd say he does" Regina said as she helped Roland into his wheel chair before Maria took him down the hall, leaving she and Robin alone.

oOo

"Hi" he said softly, standing there just staring at her for a few moments

"Hi" she replied, a grin forming on her face as Robin moved forward, crashing his lips against hers as she took in a breath of shock, but quickly recovered, her iPad and clip board falling onto Roland's bed as she wound her arms around Robin's neck, inhaling that woodsy scent she'd missed oh so much while he was gone. She sighed contentedly as he ran his fingers through her hair, loving the way he pulled her body closer to his, one hand possessively wrapped around her waist as he murmured declarations of love and how much he missed her into her hair. Once they pulled apart, their foreheads resting against one another for a few moments as their breathing evened out.

"I meant every word of what I told Roland Regina" Robin said softly

"I know, so did I...this is crazy Robin! We barely know each other"she said

"But we've got the rest of our lives to get to know each other. What I feel for you is quite real. It's, it's hard to describe it but, it's like-"

"Love at first sight?"

"Yeah, something like that; you wouldn't happen to believe in true love and soulmates, would you?"

"I've never been against the idea, why?"

"I dunno I just, this pull that I have to you I just...I'm starting to think you could be my-"

"Soulmate?"

"Yeah; it's like you complete the other half of me. It's like I come alive when I'm in your presence, and I can barely breathe when I'm not around you. I know it's all so crazy but, I have to say, from the minute I laid eyes on you, I knew you were the one. Sure, we don't really know each other that well and the only way we did meet was because my son was sick but, I like to think that we could meet a million times in a million different ways and I would still, feel the same way about you now, as I would then" Robin said as Regina smiled at him

"What is it?"

"You really are perfect, aren't you?"

"Oh, I'm far from that milady; I'm quite terrible actually" Robin laughed

"Oh? Tell me one horrible thing about yourself"

"I'm quite messy; my flat in London, was like a pig sty. My best friend and I are like two 12 year olds when put together. I can live off of beer and chips and energy drinks. I'm a rugged out doors kind of man, I could leave the civilization of the modern world and just got out and commune with nature..."

"That doesn't sound too bad..."

"And, I hog the covers and, I'm quite an awful snorer" Robin said before they both burst int laughter

"I was only joking about the snoring part, though I have been told that I have a light snore" Robin said as Regina smiled at him

"Tell me something endearing about yourself" she said softly, looping her arms around his neck

"Well, I love my son, that much is obvious; I love to paint, I love to read...I'm actually quite a good musician. I love to hunt, and fish and really anything concerning the outdoors. I have an incredible bond with my family, I love to cook and I'm actually quite good at it-"

"I love you" Regina said suddenly

"What?"

"I love you...I'm an organized mess with a touch of OCD but I hate cleaning. I expend too much money on shoes and red wine, I love my son more than anything, I play video games and watch Saturday morning cartoons with my son because he loves it, even though I hate sports of any kind, I don't like the outdoors. Don't ever piss me off or I'll turn into the Spanish speaking bitch with the full on New York accent, I can sing, but I don't, I'm terrible with popular culture, but can explain to you the history and architecture of a 300 year old building. I got this scar on my lip from a dare by my sister...a really stupid dare which got me into a lot of trouble with my mother and-"

"And you ramble, which I find to me insanely cute...and I love that about you, all of it" Robin said with a smile as he crashed her lips into his once more.

_Chapter 14 to follow..._

* * *

**I'm so sorry for the long wait you guys! This wasn't how I had this chapter planned out but, the ideas just starting flowing and...well, there you have it! I needed a logical way for Robin and Regina falling in love to make sense so...the soulmates thing kinda happened haha! Oh, and for those of you who are wondering, Killian will meet Regina and everyone else in the next chapter. I can't say if CaptainSwan or Swanfire will happen, because I'm pretty much meh when it comes to Emma. I find her to be a little bit annoying. I think when the writers had her wasting all of that goddamn time being in denial about who she really was during season 1 was what got me and then basically doing the same thing in the second half of season 3 with her wanting to take Henry and go back to New York. Plus, I don't like the way they had her swoop in like some white knight and take Henry away from Regina. **

**I know people who are adopted and it does NOT go down like that in reality. I think that's where I took issue with Emma. Sure, she was Henry's biological mom and all but, for them to just have her walk in and make Henry completely disregard everything Regina had done and been to him for the last 10 years really upset me. I hated that they whitewashed Henry's reaction to finding out he was adopted. I really did. I hated that they had him suddenly clinging to Emma as if she had been there the entire time. Again, that's not how it works in reality. Anywho, I could totally go on a serious rant about how they seriously fucked up what could have been a good opportunity to shed spot light on adoption in a positive way, instead of the bullshit they fed us. **

**I still think the writers are missing the mark with Henry and Regina's relationship on the show. Even though time and time again, Regina has been the one to save Henry, he still runs back to Emma. They may have earned some brownie points from me with the ending of last's week's episode where they had Henry standing outside of the house talking to Regina. Anywho, I'm getting down off of my soap box, because I could talk about that issue all night! I hope you all enjoyed that sickeningly sweet chapter, because I don't know if the sweetness will last-that's all I'm saying. I'm sorry for the long rant you guys. Let me know if you liked this chapter or not, leave your thoughts, comments, questions and concerns in a review!**


	14. Chapter 14

"Now Red, is _definitely_ your color" Charlotte King says to her friend as she catches her getting dressed in the attending's lounge.

It's a simple Red dress that shows off just the right amount of cleavage and is form fitting in all of the right places.

"Oh, it's nothing" Regina says with a wave of her hand as Amelia Shepherd lets out a wolf whistle.

"_Holy mother of God Mills_! Who knew you had such a smoking bod, if I rolled that way-"

"Please,_ do **not**,_ finish that sentence" Regina says with a sigh; she's been working at Seaside Wellness for a few weeks now and it's still taking some getting used to, especially Amelia Shepherd's inability to filter.

"You'll have to excuse Amelia Regina, she means well she just-" Addison begins

"Doesn't know how to filter?"

"Yeah, that" Addison says with a smile

"Oh c'mon Addie! Admit it, Regina looks hot!" Amelia protests

"She's right, you do look amazing" Addison says, giving a nod of approval

"She's going on a date with _Robin_" Charlotte says with a grin as Addison grins, making Regina roll her eyes

"_Oh_? That's great news! He's been back what, 2, 3 days already?"

"Yes, and we were supposed to go out on a date long before he left but, Roland got sick and then..."

"He got deployed, but he's here now so, you can go on all of the dates you want_ and now_, you can get laid" Charlotte says, grinning like a Cheshire cat, causing Regina to roll her eyes

"I'm not even going to comment on that last part of your statement Charlotte" Regina says as she applies her lipstick.

"Are you nervous?" Addison asks

"Why would she be nervous?" Amelia wonders as Charlotte gives Regina a side glance

"This would be the part where you open up and share your feelings with them" Charlotte informs her

"Why would I-"

"It's what they do G; ya've been at the practice long enough for them to consider you as family, therefore, meaning you open up and spill your guts" Charlotte says with a shrug

"She's right, people who work at Seaside tend to over sharer. So spill; why would Addison have reason to believe that you're nervous?" Amelia prompts, causing Regina to sigh

"Alright fine; when I was about 15, I met a guy,_ Daniel_...he was amazing and, we hit it off well. My mother hated him because his family owned the horse stables I rode at. He and I, we fell in love...and my mother did _everything she could to break us up_. We got engaged at 18 and my mother restricted me from marrying him, threatened to disinherit me, take away my trust fund, my inheritance, blackball me from getting into college, med school. I was forced into waiting until after I'd finished med school to marry Daniel but...the summer before I started med school he was killed. We went over to Israel with this group, America's Voices..tensions were high at the time and, war broke out while we were there. Daniel got shot while trying to help an Israeli woman and her 2 children get to safety..." Regina says before clearing her throat and continuing.

"I was, _devastated, _to say the least; however I went to med school, met Charlotte and, she helped me get through the hard parts. I made a vow to never love again, and I did for a while, until I adopted Henry" Regina says with a smile

"So you've held off on love all these years?" Addison asks, causing Regina to nod

"And now, she's ready again, but it's scary" Charlotte says, defending her friend

"I understand how that feels; a few years back I was, in a pretty rough place. I met this guy, Ryan. Nobody wanted us to be together because well, I met him while I was getting high. But, he was a really great guy and, I loved him. It was the first time I'd really opened my heart up to love since my dad died when I was 7. Ryan and I were gonna get sober together and have 4 kids; 2 of each so nobody got lonely. He overdosed before we ever got the chance. I got pregnant and ironically, my son was born without a brain. I didn't ever think I'd recover but, I found James, my fiance. He's a great guy he's wonderful and kind, _amazing in bed_...anyway, the point is it's scary, trying to start over with someone else but, I can tell that Robin likes you and it's obvious you care a lot about him, otherwise you wouldn't be so scared" Amelia says

"..._How the** hell** did she get to be so wise_?" Regina asks as Charlotte and Addison chuckle

"She's been through some things" Charlotte says as Addison wraps an arm around the younger Brunette

"She's always been the wisest of the Shepherd kids" Addison says with a smile as the women leave Regina alone to ponder Amelia's words.

oOo

"Alright so, Henry needs to be in bed_ no later than 9:30_" Regina tells Tink who sighs heavily, rolling her eyes

"Regina, I've been watching Henry since he was 7; I know the meticulous schedule you have him on. One minute off schedule and you're convinced he's going to fail at life. You have got to learn to relax a little. Staying up a little late won't hurt him. He's almost 13 you know" Tink points out causing Regina to sigh

"I know, I know don't remind me; pretty soon he'll be driving and off to college and then I'll have little rugrats running around calling me grandma" Regina says as Tink laughs, wrapping an arm around her friend

"You nervous about tonight?"

"As nervous as I've ever been about anything"

"It's going to be fine Regina, it's just dinner"

"No it's not it's...Robin and I I think, I think we love each other Tink" Regina says quietly as the blonde lets out a squeal of happiness, instantly hugging her friend

"Regina! Why didn't you tell me about this?!"

"Because I knew you'd react like you were 12 years old and I told you that Daniel and I were getting married" Regina says with an eye roll

"You're still a killjoy I see; Regina, love is a good thing!" Tink says

"I know but it's...this is scary for me Tink! I haven't had to give my heart to anyone besides Henry for the last 12 years and-"

"And while you love Henry with everything inside of you, he can't be your only love. Regina, look around, you have love everywhere. You've made new friends, gained new family, you've got your son, you've got Robin. Love besides the love for your son is good, it's actually quite healthy for you" Tink says, causing Regina to laugh

"Now you sound like my old therapist Archie"

"That's because he was right! Now go on, you're supposed to be meeting Robin at the hospital and you're stalling" Tink says as the two women stand in the middle of Tink's kitchen

"Don't I at least get to say goodbye to Henry?"

"Alright fine, Henry! You're mom's going on her date, come say goodbye!" She calls out as the boy comes barreling down the hall seconds later, stopping to give his mom the once over

"Well, what do you think? Is it too much?" Regina asks, twirling to give Henry the full effect of her outfit

"You look great mom, Robin's gonna like it...but no kissing, and no sex okay? And you have to be home by 12" Henry says as Regina chuckles, walking towards her son to give him a kiss on the head.

"I promise to behave myself Henry" Regina says with a smile

"Robing had better promise too, or else-"

"Or else he'll have to deal with my handsome young prince" Regina says, wrapping her arms around her son.

"It's been just you and me for a while now Henry, you think there's room for Robin and Roland?" she asks softly, running her hands through her son's hair

"I like him, Robin; and Roland's a pretty cute kid. They can stay, but the minute Robin hurts you or makes you cry-"

"He'll have you to deal with, I know; I'll be sure to tell him that. Now, I've gotta go, I'm meeting Robin at the hospital. I'll see you tomorrow afternoon?"

"Yeah, but don't forget we're having dinner with Emma and Neal tomorrow night"

"Somehow, I know you won't let me forget" Regina mutters

"Hey, they're my birth parents, but you'll always be my mom, always" Henry says softly as Regina gives him one last squeeze

"Thank you for letting me know that, now I've gotta go; don't wanna be late for my date with Robin" she says, reluctantly pulling herself away from Henry

"Wait, where's he taking you?" Henry asks

"You mean where am _I taking him_, or did you forget that Robin knows virtually _nothing_ outside of St. Ambrose?" Regina chuckles

"Oh, right, forgot about that; he doesn't get out much. So, where are you guys going?"

"I haven't decided yet; it's either steak or sushi"

"I vote Sushi; there's this new place near the boardwalk. It's close to the hospital so..."

"Sushi it is then; I think he'll like that" Regina says with a smile, giving Henry's hair one last ruffle before walking out of the door.

oOo

"I'll be back pretty late little man" Robin says, tucking Roland into bed that night

"Are you going out with Regina?" the little boy asks, his curly brown hair in desperate need of a haircut now that it's slowly starting to grow back.

"Yes, I'm going out with Regina" Robin says with a smile

"Are you going to kiss her papa?"

"I sure hope she lets me" Robin says with a grin as he presses a kiss to Roland's forehead

"Now, I want you to be a good little boy for the nurses tonight alright? And if anything goes wrong, daddy and Regina will come straight back to the hospital and take care of it, alright?" he says as Roland nods, though his attention quickly leaves Robin at the sight of Regina standing at the door.

"Wow Regina you look pretty!" Roland says with a smile as she strides across the room to him, stooping low to press a kiss to his head

"Thank you Roland; are you feeling alright tonight?" she asks, instantly going into doctor mode and checking his charts

"Ah, ah, ah; tonight, you're not on call. You're not his doctor tonight, I am" Cooper Freedman says from the doorway as Regina grins at him sheepishly

"Sorry, I can't help it"

"Hey, it's understandable; I've got a few patients I'm like that about. Now go on, get out of here. I'm sure Roland will be okay for the night while you and Robin go on your date. Speaking of dates, where are you two headed?" Cooper asks

"Oh, I have no idea; Regina's picking the place" Robin says as Cooper looks at her expectantly as she chuckles

"I was thinking sushi, if that's okay with you Robin? Because we could always go for a steak" she suggests as Robin smiles

"Sushi's fine Regina" he says with a smile before turning towards Roland, giving the boy a quick goodbye before he and Regina head out towards the

elevators.

oOo

She chooses a sushi grill near the hospital and the beach. It's low key, seeing as it's relatively new. They get an outdoor booth, the view of the ocean, the crashing waves the soundtrack to their perfect evening.

"Finally, to our first, but long overdue date" Robin says in a toast making Regina chuckle softly

"To our first date; I'm sure it'll be all worth it" she says just as the waiter comes out to take their order.

"I have to warn you thought, Henry gave me strict instructions that there is to be no kissing, and absolutely _no sex_. _And_, I have to be home by midnight" Regina says as she and Robin share a laugh

"Wow, the lad seems quite serious" Robin laughs

"That's because he was; he said he's willing to like you and put up with Roland. However if you make me cry even in the slightest-"

"I'll have Henry to deal with" Robin says as Regina nods, a grin spreading across her face

"That's right, you'll have to deal with him, and he can get pretty aggressive about me"

"I like that; I'm glad you've got such a fierce protector"

"So am I; but I wish he didn't have to be my protector all of the time" Regina says with a sigh as Robin reaches across the table to grab her hand

"That protectiveness is going to make him a great husband and a great father someday. You've raised him well, Regina" Robin says as Regina laughs softly

"Okay, let's stop talking about Henry being a father or a husband, he's only 12" she says as Robin nods

"Ah, is the lady not ready for her little boy to-"

"No, she isn't; I wish he could stay young forever" Regina says with a sigh

"I wish the same for Roland, except I wish he were a normal 5 year old boy who didn't have cancer" Robin says with a sigh

"...Let's talk about something other than our children. Tell me about London, what was it like growing up there?" she asks, knowing that if they stayed on the subject of Roland being sick too long that Robin would want to go see him thus, ending their date. He seems to catch on and smiles

"Ah London, it was...it depends on how you look at it. My parents were loving, kind, the best parents in the world. I was raised with a, substantial amount of wealth, nothing compared to the General Mills multi-billion dollar fortune but, we lived well. Mum and Dad sent me to private school, I didn't go to college but chose to go into the army instead"

"What made you choose the military?"

"I had an uncle who served; I saw how proud it made him to know that he was doing something honorable for the betterment of his people and, I'd always wanted to be like him" Robin says, his voice sounding a bit shy

"Aww, that's really sweet" Regina teases as Robin shakes his head at her, a good-natured smile on his face the whole time.

"So Regina, tell me, what was it like growing up for you? I'm sure you get this question all of the time when people find out you're-"

"It was hell" she quickly confesses as Robin stares at her, genuine concern on his face

"Was it nice to be brought up not having to worry about money or things like that? Yes it was, absolutely. But growing up in that house, living with my mother was...it was hell"

"Is that why you were in such a hurry to leave the gala that night?" he asks; it's something he's wanted to know for a while now but, things, or rather circumstances got in the way of him asking.

"My mother and I...she thinks I'm a disappointment" Regina says sullenly

"I remember you telling me this when we first met; why are you such a disappointment?"

"Because, she's been grooming me to take over the family company since I was a little girl and, that isn't what I wanted. It's what caused a lot of my parents fights as a child, me" she says, and suddenly it's Robin's turn to change the subject, seeing that it's starting to bring his beautiful date's mood down

"So, Henry may have mentioned to me once or twice that you rode horses as a child" he says, and instantly the smile she had before is back as she tucks a piece of hair behind her ears

"I did, I do; I don't have the time to ride as much because I'm-"

"So busy saving the world?" Robin teases as she laughs

"Yes that but, riding horses makes me think of Daniel...that's how we met"

They talk about Daniel and (surprisingly) for the first time, it doesn't hurt.

oOo

Dinner is exquisite; Regina allows Robin to pay for their meal before leading them out towards the board walk where they laugh and joke about their childhood, their friends. They share much more lighthearted stories about their children; dead lovers and family drama is off limits for tonight. They top the night off with a stroll along the beach, Regina leaving her ridiculously high priced heels on the beach next to Robin's loafers. It's a comforting feeling walking hand in hand alongside Robin as they listen to the waves crash along the shore. She rests her head against his shoulder and sighs in contentment as his hand squeezes hers.

"This is really nice Robin; I'm glad we got a chance to do this"

"I wouldn't have missed this opportunity milady"Robin says, leaning in to kiss her

"This is nice, I could get used to it, romantic dates, walks on the beach..." Regina says her voice trailing off

"Making love in the middle of the night" Robin says quietly as Regina stops mid walk and stares at him

"You, you wanna-"

"That's, only if you want to, Regina; I can't even begin to tell you how much I've wanted you, in that way but if you don't want to-"

"No! I want to I just...this is all happening so fast" She says with a sigh, leaning into his shoulder, his arms wrapping around her in an embrace.

"I know; it's still quite scary for me too. Why don't we just, take it one day at a time, see if our feelings for each other remain yeah?" he suggests, his hands rubbing up and down her side

"Yeah, I'd like that; I don't wanna rush anything, even if my heart is screaming that I'm supposed to be with you" Regina says

"My heart is actually saying the same thing" Robin says with a chuckle

"Why is everything moving so fast?"

"Maybe this is just what we both need; maybe it's all about timing. Maybe the universe decided that it was the perfect time for us to cross paths. Maybe-"

"Maybe the universe decided that we needed a second chance at love" Regina says softly, pulling back to look into Robin's eyes, running a hand through his hair

"Yeah, maybe" Robin says, lost in her gaze

"...Why don't we, go back to my place; it's much more quiet there and I think...I think I wanna take you up on that offer, about making love in the middle of the night" Regina says

"Are you sure?" Robin asks as she leans forward, standing on her tip toes to kiss him softly

"I've never been more sure about anything in my life" she tells him before leading him away from the ocean and towards her car.

oOo

The drive back to Regina's place is quiet, save for a few kisses in between at traffic stops and intersections. Robin's hand is gently rubbing her thigh, causing a low rumble in her belly, a feeling of being wanted and wanting someone, particularly him. They walk hand in hand to the door and Robin gives an impressive nod.

"This is a nice place" he says

"Henry wanted to live on the beach so..." she says, turning around to face him once again after she opens the door

Almost immediately, his lips are on hers; it's a slow kiss, tender and passionate, though neither of them want it like this. What they need is something quick, full of deep thrusting and passionate moans until they both come, orbiting off into ecstasy. Robin knows that there's time for that but right now what they need is slow and tender. What he needs is to see her face when he makes her come for the first time. He needs to hear her voice moaning in his ear, begging him not to stop. He needs to feel her soft creamy skin on hers, to know what she tastes like, what she feels like when he's inside of her.

He takes his time with her, gently leading her towards the entryway and into the foyer, closing the door shut behind them with his foot. Instantly, she makes to remove his jacket from his shoulders but he pins her against the wall, lightly but still with a bit of force.

"This isn't just some romp in the sheets for me, Regina. For me this is-"

"Making love for the first time, I know it's just I want you so bad and-"

"Shh, there's always time for that lovely; because believe me, I plan on taking you, several times by the time this is over" he mutters in her ear, sending shivers down her spine before pressing a kiss to her brow

"But for now, we do this my way; slow and passionate. I'm going to take your clothes off, carry you up to your bedroom and make love to you until you're begging me to stop" Robin murmurs, loving the moan that escapes Regina's lips as she walks away from him to lock the door.

"I didn't want to risk anyone walking in on us" she says, her eyes full of lust as she takes his hand again, leading him up the stairs.

oOo

Her room is dark, though Robin call tell she's got great taste. He can feel the cool breeze coming from the beach through the french doors leading out to her balcony. He smiles when he feels her hands moving around his waist, her chin resting on his shoulder.

"What are you thinking about?" she asks quietly as he turns to face her.

"I'm thinking of how I could spend every night listening to the waves crash while making love to you" he says softly, leaning forward to give her a kiss.

It's slow and sensual again as she leads him towards the bed, shifting so that her it's her back hitting the mattress. He slowly crawls on top of her, kissing her softly, running his hands through her hair, loving the feeling of her breath on his skin. He kisses along her jawline, her throat, and to the visible cleavage of her dress. He pulls her close to him, wrapping his arms around her small frame. Slowly, he pulls the straps of her dress down her shoulders, exposing the blue lace bra that causes him to groan; her breasts are more perfect than he'd imagined. She smirks at the sound of his groan, wrapping her arms around him and giving him a kiss.

"Like what you see?" she teases

"God, you really are a dream, do you know that?" he moans before pressing his lips to her exposed cleavage.

Regina simply chuckles in response, letting out a soft purr of satisfaction as he begins to nip at the tops of her breasts, pushing the straps of the dress further down along with her bra straps. He kisses and kisses until he's pulling her bra down to get a better glimpse of her breasts and suddenly, he's in heaven. He leans forward, taking one of her rosy nipples into his mouth, her sudden gasp of surprise turning him on even more. He tugs the dress until he can tug it no further down her body. Suddenly, he's standing up, pulling her up with him as she raises an eyebrow questionably.

"This dress, it has to come off" Robin mutters, quickly unzipping it, groaning as it pools to the floor, leaving her halfway in her bra and panties.

"Again you are...exquisite, Regina" He mutters, running his hands all over her body

"Just wait until you see how I feel" she purrs into his ear, causing him to groan. She uses this moment to take him by surprise and roll them over, pinning him to the bed.

"Regina-"

"I know we agreed that you'd be in charge but, that doesn't mean you should get to have all of the fun" she says with a smirk as she walks towards the bed pinning him down.

"I have no complaints on the matter" he says with a smirk, reaching up to pull her on top of him.

It's easy, rolling around the sheets kissing and groping like two horny teenagers, but when she feels the bulge in Robin's pants rub against her thigh she pauses, causing Robin to grow concerned.

"Regina, is everything al-"

"It's just...it's been a while for me Robin" she confesses, rolling off of him, suddenly sitting up on the bed, wrapping her arms around herself.

"We don't have to do anything you-"

"No! No it's not that I don't want to I just...the last time I did this, had sex with someone. Henry was very young, just before we moved here"

"So it's been-"

"Close to 5 years" she says shamefully as Robin reaches over and grasps her hand

"It's been about that long for me; there was one other woman after Marian died but...it didn't, it didn't feel right and I didn't, you know"

"I understand...I'm sorry that I-"

"Regina, tonight, we'll do whatever makes you comfortable. If you don't want sex then-"

"Robin I do it's just...the last time I had sex and it was meaningful was with-"

"With your Daniel" he says; it's not a question, rather a statement

"Yeah" she nods

"I completely understand, the last time I had sex and it meant something to me was-"

"With Marian" Regina says with a sigh as Robin nods, taking her hand in his

"Yes, with Marian"

"What are we gonna do? If this is gonna work, we can't have the two of them, Marian and Daniel, looming over us" Regina says as Robin nods

"You're right, you're absolutely right; we can't move on with our lives if we're still living in their ghosts" he says, pulling the wedding ring from his finger, placing it over on the nightstand. She gets it, the symbolization of what it means. She removes the diamond ring from her right hand (she's long since stopped wearing it on her left), also placing it into the nightstand. It's their way of sealing the door to their pasts shut. It's not like they won't ever have a conversation about Daniel and Marian but, tonight, right now, is all about them.

oOo

The minute their wedding and engagement rings are put away in the drawer, Robin pulls Regina towards him, cupping her face in his hands as he kisses her. It's soft and passionate, and somehow, something about this feels right, perfect even. They take things slow, with Robin gently lying Regina down on the bed, settling himself between her legs, gazing into her eyes, which reflect the same passion and want in his own. He kisses her, slow and tenderly, trailing his way down her throat, stopping for a moment to suck on her steady beating pulse which causes her to gasp softly, running her fingers through his hair. He kisses his way towards her collarbone, deeply inhaling her scent. She smells like apples and vanilla and a very distinct perfume. He decides that this is now his favorite smell in the world.

Once he removes her bra, he lightly cups her breasts in his hands, loving the way her chest rises and falls in rapid succession. He leans forward, capturing one of her rosy nipples in his mouth, gently tugging on it as she moans softly, grasping the sheets beneath her. He tweaks the other nipple between his middle and thumb finger, daring to tug on the nipple he is currently attached to a bit harder with his teeth, causing a groan to rip through Regina's throat. He keeps this up until she's whimpering his name, her hips rising from the bed. He smiles at her before switching things up, giving the other breast its much deserved attention. He allows one of his hands to slide further down her body in between them, his fingers lightly palming the crotch of her panties, causing a moan to get stuck in her throat as he pushes the lace material aside, groaning at the contact of his fingers against the wetness of her clit. And then he has her begging for him simply by calling his name.

His lips attach themselves to her neck again and his other hand moves from her breast to push her panties aside while he allows his fingers to do their work. He swirls them against her clit, brushing them in an up and down manner as her feels her buck into his palm. He explores her inner folds, loving the way her breathing becomes heavier and heavier as she bits down on her lip to keep from moaning. He pulls away and captures her lips in a searing kiss.

"Don't hold back Regina, there's no need to be quiet love, let me hear you" he tells her, pulling her bottom lip between his teeth for a moment as she lets out a loud gasp, her hands gripping his shoulders, her fingertips surely leaving imprints, not that he currently cares. He groans at how wet his fingers are, simply from teasing her clit and her folds. Slowly, he opens her up, gently glides two fingers into her, his dick tightening at how snug a fit she is. He can just about imagine what it'll be like when he's actually inside her.

His fingers are slow, pushing in and pulling out, gently rubbing against her clit with the upper part of his palm, listening to the way her breathing becomes ragged. It's a total turn on for him, knowing that he can elicit this type of noise from the beautiful woman who's writhing above him. He begins to move lower, taking his kisses to her chest and down in between the valley of her breasts, gliding over her sternum towards her belly button. He keeps his rhythm slow and steady as he pushes apart her legs, lowering one of them to his shoulder as he gets down on his knees. He glances up, noticing the way Regina is staring at him, the dark brooding in her eyes. He wants her, and he can tell that she wants him too, it's rather obvious with the way that they're looking at one another.

He lowers himself further onto his knees, trailing kisses up her thighs before taking a deep breath and inhaling the very essence of her. He presses a kiss to the top of her mound, kissing lower and lower, spreading her lips apart and lightly french kissing her clit, loving the way she shudders his name, running her fingers through his hair. She tastes sweet and he decides that he's instantly addicted to the way she tastes. He allows his tongue to move along her folds before settling on her clit, his fingers still thrusting firmly into her. He decides that the way she moans his name, the way her voice shakes, whimpers in between shuddering gasps, is his favorite sound in the world.

He takes his time with her, licking, sucking, biting and thrusting into her. He runs his free hand along her belly, groaning at the way her stomach muscles are clenching. God he wants her, he wants nothing more than to take her, right here and right now. He wants to take her, fill her fully and thrust into her, taking her to the hilt. He wants to feel her tighten around his cock, wants to feel how tight she is when she rides him. He wants to touch her, to feel every single inch of her when she comes. However there's no room for that right now. Right now is about him and all of the many ways he's currently pleasing Regina.

It doesn't take long for him to learn what she likes, what turns her on, what makes her scream. He also learns that she's got quite the foul mouth when she's in pleasure, noting how the word 'fuck' seems to spill from that perfect mouth of hers. He's learned every inch, every curve of her body. He knows what makes her feel good, what turns her on. He knows what to say and how to say it in order to make her moan his name louder, faster. He's slowly becoming the perfect lover for her. She's close he can tell but he doesn't stop, he doesn't plan to. Not until he has her coming, screaming his name to the heavens. He wants to see her, every inch of her come undone as she reaches that high point. It's something he's anticipating, making her come for the first time.

It doesn't take long for her to come with a shuddering scream of his name, her body arching from the bed, her hips bucking into his mouth as she comes. Her face quickly becomes red and flushed as she cries out in a series of moans. He's there the whole time, holding her shaking body in his arms as he gently thrust into her with his fingers, making her come again as he kisses her down from her high, her eyes fluttering closed at the sound of his voice telling her how beautiful she is when she comes.

oOo

He holds her close, listening to the way her heartbeat slowly starts to go back to normal after a few minutes of heavy breathing. Her face is no longer a deep shade of red, but a light pink color as she stares into his eyes. She looks sleepy and sated and for him, that's enough. They'll have plenty of time to do more he thinks to himself. Regina however, has other plans for them as she sits up, rolling on top of him.

"Regina, what are you-"

"Shh; you're not the only one who gets to have some fun" she whispers, her voice slightly scratchy from all of the screaming she'd just done.

"Love, I told you-"

"I know, I know; I'm gonna make love to you but, right now, I just want you to enjoy some of the same pleasure you've just given me" she says softly as she leans forward to kiss him.

Her kisses are soft, gentle and sweet, kisses he could look forward to he thinks. She kisses along the stubble of his jaw, nipping at his pulse point, making Robin groan. He feels her rubbing her leg against his ever growing erection; _fuck I should have taken off these bloody pants sooner _he thinks to himself as Regina seems to be reading his mind. Her nimble fingers are soon unbuckling his pants, slowly unzipping them. He groans at the feeling of his cock springing free and into her hands, which are ready and willing to stroke him. He sees the smirk written on her face as he bucks into her hand, hissing her name softly.

"Don't hold back Robin, let me hear you; there's nobody but us" she tells him, oddly echoing the same words he'd told her just moments before. She strokes him harder, faster, causing a gruttal moan of _Regina_ to escape his lips. She slowly lowers herself down onto her knees, spreading his legs further apart as she slowly kisses her way up his calves, her hands lightly massaging his balls. He groans at the contact of her soft sweet lips kissing their way along his well endowed length. He's long, and he's thick Regina muses; she'll probably be sore in the morning but, it'll be well worth it she thinks to herself as her tongue darts from her mouth to lick the pre-cum from his tip.

His eyes are full of lust as Regina slowly takes him into her mouth, the vibrations of her moaning are enough to make him buck into her mouth, forcing her to take all of him. She doesn't mind though, she takes it all in good strides, opening her mouth wider to deep throat him, her cheeks hallowing out in the process. She works him, slow, up and down, her hand occasionally joining the mix from time to time but, Regina's practically all mouth game. And by God is she a master at it Robin thinks to himself as his hands thread through Regina's dark hair, covering her face like a veil of some sort. She works him up long enough to the point where he's hissing her name in pleasure as he comes in deep, hot spurts. She's never been one to swallow but, the taste of Robin inside her mouth is actually quite tolerable so she swallows as much as she can, licking the rest up with her tongue.

oOo

By then he's pulled her back up and on top of him as he kisses her, groaning at the way their juices have mixed together, a sweet taste on his tongue as they pull apart. She takes a moment to let him rest, her head leaning against his chest as he runs his hands down her bare back, his fingers trailing along her spine.

"You are, quite incredible actually" he pants out, his breathing slowly going back to normal as she smiles up at him, adding a quick

"You're not so bad yourself" as he chuckles

"Not so bad? Milady, I do believe every other word you said was' fuck' . Though I do find it to be quite sexy the way you say it" he teases, leaning down to give her a kiss.

"Mmmm, this was nice" Regina says quietly, her fingers tracing patterns along his chest

"Ineed it was; was this enough for you?" he asks as she lets out a little yawn

"I could do more but-"

"I do believe that this has been enough for the both of us" Robin chuckles as she snuggles closer to him, a small pout gracing her features

"Patience love, we've still got the rest of the night; it's still fairly early" he tells her, pointing at the clock which only reads half past 11

"You're right, we do have the rest of the night" she purrs, wrapping her arms around his waist and closing her eyes.

"That we do; and I'll be right here, should you waking up wanting, more" Robin says before they both drift off into a peaceful sleep.

oOo

At 3 am, Regina's wide awake, wanting, no-_needing-_ to feel Robin's hands on her, to feel him inside of her. It's one thing to have a beautiful creature such as Robin (because he is indeed beautiful) sleeping next to you. But to have said creature inside of you, taking you to the hilt over and over again is entirely different. He's currently resting on his side, his face etched in perfection, even while he sleeps. She snuggles closer to him, running her fingers along the stubble of his cheeks, causing him to groan. She smiles as he opens his eyes, blinks wearily at her, that cute look of confusion gracing his features. It takes him a second to realize that he's at Regina's house, naked, in her bed. She smiles at him and he can tell that she wants more, is ready for more. He doesn't even have to ask, he simply pulls her into his arms, kissing her languidly as he rolls her underneath him.

His hands slide over her thighs, teasing at the heat pooling between her legs as he drags his length across her clit, making her groan his name. He chuckles, presses another kiss to her lips before lining his cock up at her slippery entrance before guiding himself in. They both groan at the contact and Robin swears he could come right now with how tight and how wonderful she feels around him. He suspicions were right, she feels heavenly, such a perfect fit. He pulls back a bit before gently pushing himself back in, deeper this time. He groans as the way her walls are already clenching around him; this won't take long he realizes. She's ready, they're both more than ready.

He looks down at her, her eyes full of want and lust as she reaches up to cup his cheek, pulling him down by the neck for a kiss as he begins to move inside her. He loves the soft gasps she makes in his ear, winding her hands around his neck, threading them through his hair. His movements are slow but powerful, deep thrusts. Regina arches towards him, her chest pressed against his as she moans again. Its a sensational feeling, having Regina inside him, making love to her for the first time. It's something he can definitely see happening again and again. He keeps his movements steady, thrusting deeper and harder this time, loving the moans that escape her throat as she wraps her legs around his waist, causing him to thrust deeper, a groan tearing through his lips as her breathing becomes heavier.

He mutters into her ear, how much he loves her, and good she feels as she begs him not to stop. She orders him to go harder, faster, deeper, her moans spurring him on. His hands are all over her, memorizing this moment, making sure that everything about it is real. He hisses her name when he feels her walls tighten around him, pushing him closer to the edge. She's no better, with her breathing becoming more ragged as her nails dig into his back. Her lips are on his ear, purring his name before her teeth pull at his lobe. He pulls back a bit, pinning her hands above her head as he grinds against her, loving the way her eyes roll into the back of her head.

He thrusts are quick and firm, causing the headboard to bang just as bit as she spreads her legs wider, moans his name louder, digs her nails into his shoulders even more. She's so close to coming, God so close, she can feel it, the way her body is shaking, trembling in anticipation for what's to come. His thrusts are still quick as he hands grip her thighs, her body almost unable to handle the pleasure it's being shown as her cries become louder and louder. It's moments later when they both come, crying out against each others mouths as they kiss, Regina's body shuddering in blissful pleasure. Robin grunts loudly, though he's still giving Regina quick thrusts, grinding against her clit as another wave of orgasm washes over her and she's begging him to stop (though she really don't want him to) unable to handle the pleasure.

He stills his movements, feels himself growing soft inside of her and slips out, rolling onto his back, pulling her wit h him so that her head rests against his chest. They're both sticky with sweat and sated, but most of all completely satisfied with one another. They remain silent, allowing their breathing to even out as they peacefully fall into slumber once more. They both agree that this is the best first date they've ever been on.

oOo

The sun is almost blinding the next morning as it makes it way through one of the windows of the french doors of Regina's Mill's bedroom. She awakes with a groan, rolling onto her side, only to find the bed empty. She sits up, the crisp white sheets falling down to expose her breasts as she glances around the room. She smiles when she realizes that his clothes are still there. He hadn't left, and last night was definitely a real thing. She lazily runs a hand through her sleep (and sex) tousled hair before throwing her legs over the side of the bed. She groans as she stands up, Christ she's sore, but it's well worth it she thinks to herself as she grabs Robin's button down shirt, putting it on as she makes her way downstairs. The smell of breakfast cooking is assaulting her nostrils.

She finds him in her kitchen, looking as though he's belonged there the entire time as he stands over her stove, spatula in hand. She can't help but grin as she crosses the threshold of her kitchen, biting her lower lip at the sight of a shirtless Robin Locksley. God, he was so handsome in the mornings, she could take him, right then and there. She wraps her arms around his waist, pressing her cheek to her shoulder as he turns around to face her, a grin on his face as he kisses her.

"Good Morning, or should I say, Good Afternoon, your majesty" Robin says with a smile as he presses a quick peck to her lips.

"Hi, what time is it?" she asks, pressing another kiss to his lips

"It's just after noon" he tells her as she blushes; she hasn't slept in this late in, years

"Wow...no one's called?"

"Not a single person; though I'm guessing that they all know you needed a break" Robin says, turning off the stove to give Regina his full attention

"Or, maybe they knew we were gonna have sex and realized that we shouldn't be disturbed" Regina says playfully, her hands moving around Robin's neck as he pecks her lips again

"Last night was, quite spectacular" he says as she moves to kiss him slow, passionately

"Mmmm, indeed it was; I'm still a little bit sore" she says with a pretend pout as Robin captures her lips with his own

"Oh are you?"

"Mmhm, but it's so worth it" Regina mumbles against his lips as their kissing becomes more intense.

Soon enough, breakfast is long forgotten and it ends with Regina on the counter, Robin's hands threading through her hair as he unbuttons her (actually his) shirt, pushing it off her shoulders. He lets out a groan against her shoulders when he realizes that the shirt is the only thing she's wearing.

"Bloody hell Regina" he mutters, allowing his hands to cup her breasts as her head tips back, moaning softly as his lips devour her nipples.

She's pulling him towards her, unbuckling his pants and pushing them to to the floor. He steps out of them, moving in between her thighs as he pulls her closer to the edge of the counter. He pulls her onto her feet, turning her so that her back is towards him, her stomach leaning onto the counter . She looks back at him, biting her bottom lip as a moan escapes her lips; he wants to fuck her, from behind. In one swift motion, he's inside her, his moves quick and fast. Her head tilts back as she cries out in pleasure Robin as he fucks her hard and good. It's quicker than either of them had expected and they both come with shuddering moans, their hands gripping one another fiercely as their orgasms wash over them, leaving them with heavy breathing.

oOo

"Wow, that was, quite a wake up call" Regina says with a laugh a few moments later as Robin chuckles also, pressing a kiss to her bare shoulder.

"I hate to leave but, I need to go and check on Roland" Robin says as Regina nods understandingly

"I know; I have to meet Henry at my office soon; he and I are having dinner with Emma and Neal tonight"

"Ah yes, dinner with his biological parents; how's that been going?" Robin asks, tucking a piece of stray hair behind her ear

"It's fine; it's something we're all still getting used to. Henry and I, when he first found out he was adopted, things were, pretty rough for us. Now, he's trying to reassure me that he doesn't want anyone else but me. But I think he really likes Emma and Neal, especially Neal"

"I'm glad, he needs a male figure in his life" Robin says quietly as Regina leans forward and presses a kiss to his lips.

"Maybe tonight you can come over?" she suggests as Robin raises a curious eyebrow at her

"Clearly I mean after Henry's gone to bed; I don't wanna upset him...I just-"

"I understand; I'm here for whatever you need Regina. I don't wanna pressure you into anything you aren't ready for" he says simply as Regina kisses him again

"How come you're so perfect?" she asks with a laugh

"I don't know, maybe I'm just perfect for you. Or maybe, I'm just so smitten with you that I'll take any time with you I can get. Or maybe I'm just so impressed with last night that-"

"Mmm, don't talk about last night or I won't ever wanna let you leave" Regina purrs as Robin pulls her closer

"Don't forget what just happened a few minutes ago" he mutters in her ear

"Do you think we have time for one more round before you have to go?" Regina asks as Robin's arms instantly moving underneath her thighs, which instantly wrap around his waist, his lips crashing against hers

"Milady, _I thought you'd **never** ask_" he mutters, carrying her upstairs.

_Chapter 15 to follow..._

**I'm sorry that it's taken me soooo long to update this, about a month to be exact. I've been so busy and, I had a really horrible case of writer's block and-I had to figure out where to go next. I think I've got it figured out though. It took me probably over a week to write this chapter, which is pretty long for me, considering that I can write a really good chapter in a couple of hours at the most. Though I'm sure you'll like this chapter, seeing that it's pretty long and, it's full of outlawqueen smut. Again I do apologize for the delay; l****ife's just been hectic lately and for that, I really can't apologize but at the same time, I can. Oh, I should mention that I recently created an account over at A03/ anarchiveofourown. org. You can find me under: theworldaccordingtoDee or, AddieGreysPPPLover. My Once stories are under arforementioned penname and my Grey's Private Practice stories are under the latter. I'm mostly posting my stuff from there but, I may post a few new stories there so, be on the look out. Anywho, thank you all so much for the amazing amount of follows, reviews and favorite's of this story. I do hope to have the next chapter all typed up and ready for you all soon!**

**Take Care,**

**Xx**


	15. Chapter 15

Thanksgiving is only a few days away and Addison is sticking her head into Regina's office to invite her to dinner at her house.

"It's a tradition we have here at the practice" the redhead says with a shrug

"You all have Thanksgiving dinner together?" Regina questions

"You're part of our crazy family Regina, it's only right that you're there"

"Henry and I have plans"

"Oh? Visiting your parents for the holidays?"

"What? No, not after what happened the last time I saw my mother. We're having dinner with Dr. Nolan and Henry's birth parents" Regina says as Addison stares for a moment

"What?"

"You've been doing that a lot, spending time with Henry's birth parents"

"I learned that I knew Henry's father long before I adopted him"

"Oh?"

"Yup; plus, Dr. Nolan, Mary Margret's my cousin" Regina says as Addison finds that hard to believe

"Now you being related to Charlotte, that I could see but, Mary Margret Nolan, sweet, annoyingly optimistic Mary Margret?"

"You mean 'rainbow kisses and unicorn stickers'?" Addison chuckles at the nickname

"I honestly thought Charlotte had given her that nickname but, now that I think about it, that's more your style. I think it's nice that you're getting to know your son's...biological family"

"You've never met your Henry's family?"

"Once; his mother showed up out of the blue when he was about 8 months old. I haven't seen her since. She doesn't want to confuse him she says, growing up with two moms and a dad"

"I can understand her sentiments there; I was hesitant about it, meeting with Emma but, she seems like she just wants to know her son"

"And you're not worried that Henry will-"

"At first I was but, he's always reassuring me that while he likes Emma and Neal, I'll always be his mom, and it makes me feel, wonderful, knowing that my son still looks at me at his mother, even though I didn't give birth to him"

They chit chat a bit more about motherhood and their children before Addison somehow manages to get Regina to agree to at least stopping by her place before Thanksgiving is over.

oOo

"So, what do ya have planned for-"

"If you're about to invite me to Addison's place, she already beat you to it" Regina says to Charlotte that afternoon in passing on the way to meet with a patient (it's still weird working here at Seaside Wellness but, she's got a good steady flow of clientele she realizes)

"And are ya comin'?"

"I told her I would, but Henry and I are having dinner with Neal and Emma first"

"Ah; ya know, you should invite Isobel, and maybe Robin" the blonde suggests as Regina rolls her eyes

"Robin's unavailable, or did you forget his son's in the hospital?"

"You know you can give Roland a temporary release, provided he's well enough to do so. Pete and Coop could run the labs for ya. Plus, it'd be nice to give the boy his first American Thanksgiving, since he and his daddy are officially U.S. Citizens and all"

"I'll see what Robin says, though I'm not sure if Tink will be able to come; she always goes to her parents place over in Santa Monica"

"Well the invitation still stands, for all of ya; Robin and Roland included" Charlotte says with a grin

"Why are you so invested in me bringing Robin over to Addison's like I'm the kid home from college with the new boyfriend?"

"Because, like it or not, we're family Regina" She says as Regina groans

"There's nothing with extending your family a lil bit, think about it" Charlotte suggests before heading towards the practice daycare to visit the triplets.

oOo

"So, Charlotte and Addison cornered me at work today" Regina says to Robin that night as she rests her head against his chest. It's day number, she's not keeping count really, of him spending the night at her place (though technically he's gone before Henry's awake the next morning) and she's quite enjoying it.

"Oh?" Robin questions, absently running his hand along the small of her back

"Mmhm; they even suggested I invite you as well"

"Oh?"

"Yeah; Charlotte says I could give Roland a temporary release if he's well enough, that way he can see something other than the inside of the hospital for the holidays...what do you think?"

"Do you think he'd be well enough to do something such as venture out of the hospital?"

"If we run the right kinds of labs and increase his antibiotics to lower his risk of infections, I think he'd be fine. Though I'd only do it if you said it was okay"

"Would you like it if Roland I spent the holiday's with you and Henry?" he asks as she thinks about it for a moment

"It's pretty obvious that we're together and we care about each other. I'd like to see what happens when it's you, me and our boys outside of the hospital" she says as Robin nods thoughtfully before responding with

"Alright then, run whatever necessary tests you have to. I think it's high time Roland got to see something other than the hospital" Robin says with a smile as Regina leans forward to kiss him.

oOo

Henry of course is game for spending Thanksgiving with both Emma and Neal as well as everyone at the practice (he and Mason have grown quite close over the last few months, seeing as they're around the same age and all).

"So, what do you think of Robin spending the holiday's with us?" Regina asks her son when it's just the two of them one night. Homework has since been long done and they've retired to the living room where they're playing some new game that Henry has convinced Neal and Emma to buy him.

"I think it'd be cool, but what about Roland?"

"Well, I'm gonna give him a temporary release if his labs come back clean tomorrow?"

"That's awesome; so does this mean you and Robin are serious?" Henry asks as Regina smiles

"We're...it's getting there. I care about him, and he cares about me so...:

"I'm just happy that you're happy mom" Henry says, wrapping an arm around her, causing her to smile

"So, thanksgiving at Mary Margret's with Emma and Neal and then dinner with everyone from the practice?"

"And Robin and Roland?"

"Yes, them too; so what do you think?"

"I think this is gonna be a great Thanksgiving" Henry says with a smile as he uses his mother's happiness to beat her.

oOo

They arrive at Mary Margret's place around 11; the pixie haired brunette is there to greet them with a smile.

"Regina, and Henry; Happy Thanksgiving!"

"Happy Thanksgiving, I brought pie" Regina says with a smile

"And wine, the good stuff!" Henry pipes up behind her, holding up the two bottles for affect as Mary Margret chuckles

"How thoughtful; why don't you guys put those in the kitchen. Emma, Neal and David are in the living room" Mary Margret says with a smile as she lead them into the house.

The Nolan home is warm and welcoming, which is hard for Regina to consider, especially since Mary Margret was raised without a mother. She attributes the girl's bright and overly perky personality to Joanna, her nanny since birth. True to her word, Regina finds Emma, Neal and David in the living room, beers in hand watching football.

"Guys, Henry and Regina are here" Mary Margret calls out as everyone turns to give them a collective greeting, though Regina simply chuckles as Henry makes his way to sit next to Neal.

"Who's playing?"

"It's college football; Alabama and Auburn" Neal says

"Oh, I'm sure Charlotte King is watching this game" Regina says with a shake of her head as she too plops down next to Henry

"Charlotte King watches football?" Mary Margret inquires

"Does she? I have to say, I've got my money on Alabama" Regina says with a smirk as Neal shakes his head

"There's no way Mills; Auburn's gonna cream Bama" Neal argues

"Is that so?"

"Oh I'd totally bet on it" he says as Regina grins evily

"How much would be willing to wager, Cassidy?"

"100 bucks says Auburn beats the crap outta Alabama"

"You're on" Regina says as the two shake on it; Emma and Henry groan, knowing that this won't end well.

oOo

Sure enough, Alabama beats the crap outta Auburn, 47 to 23. Neal is grumbling the entire time as he reaches into his wallet and hands Regina one hundred dollars. She mutters something along the lines of _like taking candy from a baby_ before heading into the kitchen to help Mary Margret, instantly asking her about why Emma's been so quiet.

"It's not really my place to say but, she's scared to tell you, and Henry" Mary Margret says quietly

"Tell us what?"

"She's pregnant; she took a test today"

"Oh; well that's news...it's Neal's I'm assuming?" Regina asks as Mary Margret nods

"Why's she scared to tell me; I'm not the one to explain this to"

"Your opinion of her matters Regina"

"Why?"

"You're the woman who's raising her son"

"Mary Margret..."

"You may not think your opinion matters to Emma but, it does" Mary Margret says, noticing Emma pull Henry off to the side to talk to him, most likely to tell him the news.

"How do you think Henry's gonna take this?"

"I don't know; he's been cautious of Emma, for my sake"

"Why?"

"Well you remember what happened when he found out he was adopted"

"He really did hurt you, didn't he?" Mary Margret asks softly

"It did, but I'll never tell him just how much. Mary Margret, I'm all for Henry having a relationship with Emma and Neal. He's my son; I know that and he knows that. It's just, a lot for him, for the both of us to get adjusted to. It's been just he and I for the last 11 years and suddenly, we're being bombarded with all sorts of people. Emma, Neal-"

"Robin and Roland?" Mary Margret teases as Regina blushes

"How are things going between the two of you?"

"Fine; he and Roland are going with us over to Addison's for dinner with everyone from the practice"

"What does your mother think of him?"

"Let's not talk about my mother right now"

"What happened?"

"She met Robin at the gala a couple of weeks ago and, let's just say, my taste in men is still a disappointment to her" Regina says with a sigh, running a hand through her hair

"I'm sorry" Mary Margret says, just as the oven dings, letting them know that the turkey is ready.

By the time they get dinner on the table, Regina can tell that the dynamic between Henry, Emma and Neal has changed drastically.

oOo

"It's getting late and we've still gotta go by the hospital to get Robin and Roland. C'mon Henry, say goodbye to Emma and Neal" Regina says to her son a short time later.

She notices the way Henry gives Emma and quick bye, but doesn't bother to speak to Neal, who looks as equally hurt as Emma. Wanting to clear some of the tension, Regina asks Henry to wait for her in the car. He quickly obliges, slamming the door to the apartment behind him as he leaves.

"Regina-" Emma begins, only to have the brunette hold up a hand

"He's upset; it's still a lot for him to adjust to. He's still trying to sort through his feeling about the two of you and then he finds out that you're having a baby" she says; there's no anger in her tone, in fact it's rather neutral

"Do you think he'll ever wanna see us again?" Neal asks, hanging his head in shame

"Eventually; hey, don't feel bad about this baby. You two did what you thought was best for Henry at the time and, I'm eternally grateful, because I got to raise an amazing kid. I'll talk to Henry, but I think, at least for now that, we slow down with the visits. Give him some time to process everything. It's a lot to adjust to in such a short span of time for a boy his age" She explains, and even though it hurts Emma and Neal, they understand. Their goodbyes a brief, with a promise from Regina to call and let them know how Henry's doing.

By the time she makes it to her car, her baby boy is practically shaking with tears, breaking his mother's heart.

"Oh, Henry; c'mere sweetheart" she says softly, wrapping her arms around her crying son, whispering soothing words to him, trying to help him understand that just because Emma and Neal are obviously keeping this baby doesn't mean they thought any less of him. It takes 10 minutes and a promise of potential ice cream and video games later that Henry's calm enough for her to make her way to the hospital.

oOo

St. Ambrose is bustling with work as usual, Thanksgiving only heightening the accident rates as she and Henry make their way towards the children's cancer unit. She finds Robin getting Roland ready. He looks so cute in his dark wash jeans and green colored pull over sweater. Robin looks equally handsome in a pair of dark wash jeans and a plaid button down shirt. He smiles, walking across the room to give her a soft peck on the lips and a hello to Henry, who doesn't really respond. Regina silently mouths a 'We'll talk about it later' to Robin who simply nods as Regina approaches Roland, who seems very excited about the idea of leaving the hospital, even if it is just for a couple of hours.

"Regina, daddy says if I'm well enough I get to hang out with you and Henry!" Regina laughs softly, Roland is so cute, practically bouncing on the side of the bed as the nurse comes in, handing her the results of Roland's labs.

"Hey Roland?"

"Hmm?"

"Have you ever been to the beach?" Regina asks with a grin as the boy's eyes widen with excitement

"We're going to the beach!?"

"Yes, that's where Dr. Montgomery lives" Regina explains as Roland lets out a yelp of excitement so infectiously cute that even Henry can't help but crack a smile.

oOo

They arrive at Addison's just after 5 and everyone else is already there; Amelia Shepherd greets them at the door with a warm smile.

"I see Addison and Charlotte convinced you to come?"the brunette says with a smile

"I brought pie"

"Homemade or Store bought?"

"Homemade" Regina says, as if store bought pie is even an option

"You cook too?"

"Yep and, I bought wine"

"Bless you Mills, come on in; hiya Henry, Mason's out back throwing the football around with Jake, Cooper and James if you wanna...join them. What's with your kid? He's usually so-" Amelia begins as Henry rushes off in the other direction

"His birth mom's pregnant" Regina explains

"Ahh...I take it that conversation didn't go so well?"

"Nope; let's not talk about that. I'm hungry and I could really use a drink" Regina says as they follow Amelia further into the house. Violet, the practice shrink takes Roland off to play with her son Lucas; the two hit it off very well, seeing as they're around the same age.

"Would you look at that, Roland's made a new friend" Robin says proudly as Regina smiles, just as Charlotte and Addison approach.

oOo

"I was startin to think ya wouldn't show up" Charlotte says as Regina rolls her eyes

"Not show up and have you and Addison grilling me? No thank you"

"She brought pie, and it's homemade" Amelia says

"Is it apple?"

"Of course it is"

"Move out of the way, that pie is mine" Charlotte says making a bee-line for Regina's pie as everyone else chuckles

"I'm assuming you made pie in college?" Addison asks

"I did"

"Okay, now can you tell us about how you and Charlotte King ended up becoming such good friends?" Pete asks

"Yeah, I've never really heard stories about Charlotte before I met her" Cooper says as Regina glances over at Charlotte

"Oh g'head; they're never gonna stop pesterin ya about it until ya tell 'em" Charlotte says as Regina chuckles and begins to tell the tale of how she met Charlotte King, which proves to be quite interesting, as does Thanksgiving with the people of Seaside Wellness her, dare she say it, new family.

oOo

December rolls around pretty quickly and it's equally as hectic for Regina. She and Robin don't get to spend as much time together as they had hoped, mostly because she has a slew of new patients plus, Roland's case isn't as high maintenance anymore, with him responding so well to the medication. She only has to check on him occasionally. Henry still hasn't come to terms with the fact that Emma and Neal are having another child so, it's been a while since they've seen one another. She does manage to keep Emma updated on Henry when the two see one another at work-even though Emma works down in billing and encoding. She gets quite the surprise when Robin shows up at her office one afternoon. Showing up at the practice is something he rarely does but it's nonetheless adorable when he shows up, bouquet of white roses in hand.

"What are you doing here?" Regina asks, getting up from her desk to give him a kiss

"I've missed you; are you free for lunch right now?" he asks, his hands trailing up her spine, causing Regina to bite her bottom lip

"What kind of lunch are you suggesting?" she purrs in his ear, having missed being this close to him. Robin doesn't respond, he simply gives her a knowing look that lets her know exactly what kind of lunch this would be.

"I don't have patients for the next hour and a half" she tells him as he murmurs out a perfect, allowing her enough time to grab her purse and keys as they head towards the elevator doors. However, just as they're about to leave, Stacy the receptionist informs her that she's got an emergency call in her office.

"Shit; I'll be right back, it'll only take a few minutes I swear" she tells Robin, pressing a kiss to her lips as she rushes towards her office. When a few minutes turns into 15, Robin grows worried. By the time he makes his way to Regina's office, his heart breaks at the sight of her. She's completely in shambles, staring at the phone, her make up smeared by lots of tears. His heart suddenly plummets, his mind instantly going to Roland.

"Regina, love what's wrong?" he asks tentatively as she turns to face him, her voice sounding completely pitiful

"...That was my sister, my father's had a heart attack"

_Chapter 16 to follow_

* * *

**We're slowly inching our way towards the end of this story you guys! Be prepared to see Cora in the next chapter, and look for some really sweet/angsty Robin/Regina moments as well! I think you all will like the direction in which this story is moving.**

**Take Care you guys!**

**Xx**


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